Challenging Established Dictates, Then and Now
Reviews and Comments by Ken Burke
I invite you to join me on a regular basis to see how my responses to current cinematic offerings compare to the critical establishment, which I’ll refer to as either the CCAL (Collective Critics at Large) when they’re supportive or the OCCU (Often Cranky Critics Universe) when they go negative.
Mulan [2020] (Niki Caro) rated PG-13
Opening Chatter (no spoilers): As I contemplated writing this cluster of cinematic-explorations, watched the new Mulan which I chose for the main review, put my thoughts into words, prepared for posting, I'm looking out my window as orange skies shifted back to grey (with air quality ironically worsening in the process) while all I could think of was an Irving Berlin song, “Blue Skies” (sung here by Willie Nelson); alas, the reality continues to be from R.E.M. because “That was just a dream”* as our San Francisco Bay Area-atmosphere continues to be clogged with wildfire-smoke (as is much of the Pacific Coast states), making life miserable for those with lung conditions, further disruptive for the rest of us as we’d hoped to periodically-escape our semi-quarantined-COVID-conditions, getting outside for fresh air, only to have that option held back—with my full realization (and deepest sympathy) those truly impacted by actual fires or hurricanes (lives, property, forests, costal communities lost) or coronavirus (sickness and death, livelihoods impacted as the pandemic keeps gripping our globe) have it a hell of a lot worse than I do (or almost anyone I directly know of).
*The Nelson-sung-tune's, from 1926, on his 1978 Stardust album; the other’s in “Losing My Religion” on the 1991 Out of Time album. What with COVID-19, horrid wildfires all over the West, ongoing destruction of democracy from Trump and his minions I’d be losing my religion too—if I had any left (“Oh no, I’ve said too much”)—but in respect for my Jewish brethren (hey, I’ve got a DNA test [1 of 3, admittedly] showing me as .8% Ashkenazi [that same test also shows .8% Indigenous Amazonian but no East Asian, so take whatever I say about Mulan with a grain of kosher salt as I retreat to my Northern European roots—57% in 1 test, 100% in another, 89.2% in the one I’m citing with various small possibilities from other parts of the human family spread out over all 3]) I do wish them (actual relations or not) a joyous Rosh Hashanah beginning at sundown on this Friday, September 18, 2020.
Speaking of realizations, I also know there are protests demanding a boycott of Disney’s new live-action Mulan (a remake of their 1998 animated feature [Barry Cook, Tony Bancroft]), both because of an August 2019 post shared by star actor, naturalized-U.S. citizen Lui Yifei in support of Hong Kong police brutality against protesters (She knew problems would arise; her statement at the time said: “You can all attack me now.”) and the fact that certain parts of the movie were shot in the Xinjiang region of China known for brutal repression of local Ulghur Muslims, highlighting the problems of movie companies trying to work with China in hopeful-search of their massive audiences. However, I’ll leave boycotts to those who choose to do so (including refusing to read my review; I understand that too) while still attending to what was supposed to be one of the most impactful (certainly among the most expensive) cinematic events of 2020, trying all the while to acknowledge both the praise the on-screen-experience has drawn from many and the problems others have found with this centuries-old-tale of a young woman who secretly takes her conscripted, disabled father’s place in a war to expel invaders while keeping her gender identity hidden lest she be sent home in dishonor (costs $30 to rent, plus the $6.99 monthly fee for Disney+ streaming). Further, in the Short Takes section I’ll offer brief comments on Coastal Elites (available if you pay for HBO’s premium cable channels), a comedy lambasting Donald Trump (although I doubt those who support MAGA-man find it funny at all). Also in that section I suggest some choices on the Turner Classic Movies channel (but too much extra text for line-justified-layout like you see here [Related Links stuff at each posting’s end is similarly-ragged], at least to be done by this burned-out-BlogSpot-drone—oh, tedious software!) along with my standard dose of industry-related-trivia. Finally for these lead-off-remarks, in case you didn’t get enough about Charlie Kaufman’s I’m Thinking of Ending Things in my previous review (a very rare 4½ stars from your miserly critic), here’s an interview (15:22) with that unique screenwriter-director about his latest enigmatic film and other topics (you can also search YouTube with the film’s title to find even-more-explanations of what I’m Thinking …'s all about [maybe?], if you didn’t get enough of that sort of thing previously from me).
Here’s the trailer for Mulan:
(Use the full screen button in the image’s lower right to enlarge it; activate
that same button or use the “esc” keyboard key to return to normal size.)
(Produced back when this was scheduled for March 27, 2020 theatrical release; same content now.)
If you can abide plot spoilers read on, but this blog’s intended for those who’ve seen the film or want to save some $. To help any of you who want to learn more details yet avoid those important plot-reveals I’ll identify any give-away sentences/sentence-clusters like this:
⇒The first and last words will be noted with arrows and red.⇐ OK, now continue on if you prefer.
What Happens: In ancient China (timeframe intentionally left ambiguous, as is the name of the ruling dynasty) Hua Mulan (Yifei Liu [traditionally Chinese lead with their surnames so Hua is the family name in this movie; however, most cast listings, reviews, etc. I see use Westernized-format with the actor’s surname last, so I’ll usually continue this discrepancy in regard to characters vs. actors who portray them—except when following from direct citations—with apologies for any confusion or unintended-cultural-insult]) is first seen as a small child (Crystal Rao) in an equally small village; however, she naturally has great physical and acrobatic abilities which are the result of her inherently-high-levels of chi (vital energy) which causes her family consternation as she chases a chicken all over a couple of floors of the common structure, causing some minor destruction in the process.* As a young woman, though, Mulan’s expected to carry on traditional roles for women by marrying, bearing children, so—quite unwillingly—she dons the requisite makeup, meets with a matchmaker (Cheng Pei-pei) but disrupts the encounter by moving, then knocking over the ceremonial-teapot in an effort to hide a spider in response to younger sister Hua Xiu’s (Xana Tang) fear of arachnids. Left without the option of being forced into a union, Mulan’s next challenge comes when vicious Rouran invaders, led by Böri Khan (Jason Scott Lee), aided by a destructive witch, Xianniang (Gong Li), who, among her other powers can transform herself into a bird, cause the worried Emperor (Jet Li)—he long ago killed Khan’s father—to conscript a male from every household in the country, putting the Hua family at a disadvantage because father Hua Zhou (Tzi Ma) once served The Emperor well in battle but injuries left him somewhat disabled. In defiance of strict tradition, Mulan sneaks off early one morning with her father’s armor, sword, and draft notice in order to protect him, then disguising herself as a male (binding her breasts, keeping her flowing hair capped) for the army (if you want to think of this as like Yentl [Barbra Streisand, 1983] with swords, you’re somewhat right, although this basic Mulan legend's been handed down over many centuries).
*As you’ll see throughout the rest of this review the plot decision to have Mulan be naturally endowed with a dynamic dose of chi is an essential factor in Chinese complaints about the essential conception of this movie, as noted in an article from Variety (Be aware that a good number of my citations this time—including the 2 in this footnote—contain spoilers, all identified as such for your benefit, so choose carefully what you read before deciding if you want to see Mulan): “In the wake of other films like ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ and Lulu Wang’s ‘The Farewell’ that were hailed as milestones for Asians in the U.S., but which failed to resonate in China, ‘Mulan’ is [sic] most revealing entry yet in Hollywood’s rolodex of unsteady attempts to bridge the cultural gap between the mainland and the West. [¶] China’s reaction once again demonstrates that the elusive devil of ‘authenticity’ is truly in the details — ones that likely require more native eyes below the line and behind the camera to suss out before the $200 million chicken has flown the coop.” In stark-comparison, many reviews and explorations I’ve seen from a Western perspective take little note of such concerns, such as this enthusiastic exploration (11:02 [an ad interrupts at about 3:50]) of differences between Disney's 2 versions of this narrative, which, in counter to some complaints, notes the phoenix is often used in China as a symbol of female power (an inclusion in this remake, replacing the animated dragon Mushsu [voiced by Eddie Murphy] whom many found delightful in the animated original but others objected because of the dragon’s much-more-serious-place throughout Chinese mythology/culture).
Calling herself Hua Jin, Mulan joins a vast number of other conscripts, hoping to not call attention to herself (because to even bring a woman into camp results in a death sentence)—so she keeps volunteering for night guard duty, avoiding showering with the men, leading to jokes about her increasing odor—despite her inherent chi abilities which often lead her to superior results in the demanding training tasks (such as carrying 2 buckets of water on her shoulders up a steep hill, which none of the men can do), noted by Commander Tung (Donnie Yen) who once fought beside “Jin’s” father (wants to introduce his daughter to “Jin”). This comes to a head when Chen Honghui (Yoson An), a guy trying to make friends with “Jin,” finds himself in a confrontation with his fellow recruit where “Jin” succeeds (a scene explored in the second item connected to this movie in the Related Links section far below) despite initially assumed to be the lesser opponent. Later, bathing in a lake at night, Mulan’s surprised by Honghui but manages to hide her body in the water until sending him away, deflected the friendship. On the battlefield Mulan encounters the witch who knows her true identity, chides her for subterfuge, tries to kill her but fails; in another battle Mulan saves her forces by causing their enemy to create an avalanche, burying most of their own soldiers.
⇒Finally, though, as her troops need inspiration against the invaders she pulls off her cap, lets her hair flow, dispatches many of the enemy, but afterward is sent home in shame even though Honghui stands up for her, Tung admires her. The bigger problem is when Mulan’s confronted by Xianniang again, telling Mulan she’s also been a social outcast, says they should join forces, yet Mulan refuses; however, the witch also reveals Khan’s just used these battles as a ruse to pull soldiers away from the Imperial City so the Emperor can be captured causing Mulan and a small squad to rush to the rescue, learning he's already taken by Khan’s forces. Ultimately, Mulan finds The Emperor’s bound in the structure of a new palace under construction, intended to be burned to death. As climatic fights ensue across the rafters, Khan kills the witch (her loyalties have shifted out of respect for Mulan) with an arrow meant for Mulan, Mulan loses the family sword but pushes Khan to his death. The grateful Emperor offers Mulan a place in his Imperial Guard but she (after some maybe-later-glances with Honghui) chooses to go home to face her father who’s initially upset but accepts her, as The Emperor sends them a new family sword leading Mulan to accept that position in the Guard.⇐
So What? In looking through Internet possibilities of articles/videos to consider attaching to this review I kept finding people gushing on how much they loved the original Disney-animated-feature of Mulan, which, I admit, I enjoyed enough when I watched it but don’t really remember much since 1998, so I checked my critics-collective-sources to find Rotten Tomatoes gave that one 86% positive reviews while Metacritic was predictably lower with a 71% average score (based on only 24 reviews, though; RT surveyed 77 critics)—you'll find more on their current responses to this new Mulan in the next section of this review. So, not only was I surprised how fondly the animated original was embraced and remembered by many commenting on the new adaptation—from both East and West—I was also surprised to see how vehemently-opposed so many are to this version of the ancient Chinese legend. While you can find many bitter dismissals just with a YouTube search of “Mulan 2020” (along with some others comparing these 2 movies or pointing out things you might have missed while watching the new one) I’ll highlight this one (all 3 cited right here contain spoilers, so keep that in mind if you want to explore these citations before seeing Mulan for yourself) from China's Guan Video Channel (7:56) which begins with praise of Chinese scientists taking action against COVID-19, then celebrates their country's start of fall classroom instruction before moving on (at 2:57 if you want to skip ahead) to these 2 hosts’ problems with the movie including historical inaccuracies, objections to the particular uses of makeup, acknowledgement about Chinese complaints against the dragon character in the 1998 version but question replacing it here with a phoenix (note the counter to that in my previous segment of this review), the representation of chi as being too much like The Force in Star Wars stories—a focused complaint (as stated by many others) about Mulan having this powerful level of chi from birth rather than studiously-working her way into it through warrior training—as well as too much use of the Hua family’s dedication to concepts of loyalty, bravery, truth. (I wonder what their government thinks about that last complaint?)
Similarly, here’s a Western-based-dismissal of Mulan (“a trainwreck”) actively complaining (for 12:38) about slow pacing, clunky dialogue, verbalizing rather than visualizing, Mulan’s too passive and boring a character, wasted use of adding a sister to the Hua family, strange to present the witch as a dark-parallel of Mulan, poorly-done-action-scenes that need to start smaller, grow bigger rather than be grandiose from the start (director Caro rebuts this in that second item connected in Related Links down below I previously noted), and, of course, the (ongoing) significant “problem” of Mulan born with a strong amount of chi rather than gaining it heroically while achieving her warrior's status.
On a more practical level, here’s an analysis by Brooks Barnes and Amy Qin of The New York Times as to why this $200 million production which was intended to bring in huge grosses in China (where it’s playing in theaters rather than on Disney+ in the U.S. and other locations where it can be streamed) hasn’t been making the sort of impact there as was hoped (it still leads the way with $23.2 million grosses, but that’s nowhere near the level the studio expected) due to those local (and international) protests over inclusion in the credits thanking officials for being allowed to shoot in Xinjiang (A usual process for any filmmakers regarding any location; further, the footage is just background scenery on screen for about a minute as most of the movie was shot in New Zealand. However, with the ongoing repression of Muslims in that region condemnation came quickly for shooting there at all), limited coverage of the movie due to these protests (along with the ones directed at Liu Yifei for her 2019 support of Hong Kong police), plus the irony of the filmmakers making extensive efforts to construct a story that would appeal to Chinese audiences which resulted in American complaints about kowtowing to Chinese demands balanced by Chinese complaints in local reviews the movie’s too Americanized, not respectful enough of Chinese history and culture. Well, given my initial response that I generally enjoyed this movie, had no problem with Mulan being like a Harry Potter wizard/Jedi Knight in terms of being born with powerful abilities which she just needed to sharpen and focus, while feeling glad this story gives girls of any culture inspiration to see themselves as respected heroes rather than assumed wives or clerical workers (just like Wonder Woman [Patty Jenkins, 2017; review in our June 8, 2017 posting] did previously, hopefully to be repeated with Wonder Woman 1984 [Jenkins, theatrical release now set for theatrical release on December 25, 2020]), I had to wonder while wading through all this negativity if my usual collection of old-White guy-gender/ethnicity/nationality/cultural biases were leading me astray once again (not necessarily in self-evaluation but in the eyes of others who often assume I should be approaching the world from different viewpoints: more attuned to someone else's interpretation of movie content).
So, I took a stroll through the 267 critics of this new rendition of Mulan in Rotten Tomatoes to see what I’d find from those I know best through regular attention to their reviews (there are dozens there I know nothing about, at least at this point), fully aware their global-cultural-sensitivities might be as limited as mine but given the positions they hold in the international press I feel somewhat secure they’re informed about what they put out to the public. In the case of Manohla Dargis of The NY Times there’s plenty of Mulan support: “Stories about women bravely going against the cultural and social grain can be delectable catnip, and it’s no different here. Mulan is an insistently attractive character, no matter how indifferently conceptualized or bluntly politicized. Her tale has been traced back as far as the fourth to sixth centuries, though the first written versions appear later. […] Over time, the bright palette [Caro] deploys in the opening subsides though it never fully fades into the dun hues that typify many contemporary war films. Despite the death toll and corpse-riddled landscapes, this remains a preternaturally sunny, pointedly bloodless PG-13 affair.” Among other females critics who liked it (although there were enough who didn’t), I’ll steer you (mostly without further quotes below, hoping you’ll read these for yourself) to Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly, Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post, and Christy Lemire of RogerEbert.com. Male critics found support for it as well (along with a good number who dismissed it) including James Berardinelli of ReelViews (“[…] a compelling and engaging adventure that represents not only an effective retelling of the 1998 film but arguably the best of the studio’s animated-to-live action reconstructions.”), Ty Burr of the Boston Globe, Peter Debruge of Variety, and Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune.
Based on names alone (sorry, I didn’t have the resources to do genealogical research), I found few Asian/Asian-descent critics among this group at RT, with the ones I noticed not being supportive of this take on the Mulan story, as with Justin Chang of NPR: “But I wish the movie's engagement with Chinese culture went deeper than that gorgeous surface — that it succeeded in breathing fresh dramatic life into this oft-told tale.” Finally, just for full balance here are 2 others I’m familiar with/trust (even when we don’t agree) also taking less-than-laudatory-stances: Joe Morgenstern of The Wall Street Journal, Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian (“[…] an entertaining if straightforwardly glossy action-adventure from the Disney workshop.”). As with response to any representative of any of the arts, you’ll encounter supporters and detractors. Those who post in YouTube seem to be awfully negative about this new Mulan (I’m on the Internet, not YouTube, yet standing as an exception), but there are plenty of those populating the professional CCAL who've find much to admire in this movie.
But what about those concerned with lack of historical validity (to which I counter—for what little it may be worth—this is just a fictional movie based on a legend in a 5th-century poem!), cultural appropriation, or transformation of the main character from an aspiring warrior fighting not so much to protect her homeland from an invading enemy (although still a worthy goal for her) as to protect her aging father from having to go again into battle just because he has daughters but no son to defend the family’s honor into a naturally-gifted, able-athletic woman fully capable of establishing her reputation on the battlefield using her natural gifts rather than having to work her way up from incompetence as a soldier? I can’t speak to how most Chinese (maybe different from most Chinese-Americans, maybe not) viewers will respond to this film. Nevertheless, I haven't seen much from such viewers in support, such as this rejection by Grace Wong: “Instead of bridging the gap, the live-action ‘Mulan’ widens the chasm between my Chinese and American identities. It felt less like a Disney movie and more like a Chinese fantasy soap opera, with cheesy sound effects and discussions of phoenixes — clear attempts of capturing the whimsy of the original that fell short. [¶] The stunning, sweeping landscape camera angles and beautiful set and costume design did not make up for the at-times reductive presentation of Chinese culture, which felt akin to walking through a Chinatown novelty store. It reeked of Western pandering to a Chinese audience, attempting to prove its knowledge of Chinese cultural elements without any real substance, while simultaneously managing to alienate its American audience […] the movie clearly communicates that the righteous path is ultimately the one that supports the status quo. This new perspective muddies the original’s message of bravery and sacrifice when met with a cruel and power-hungry villain. […] Today, I believe Mulan would be on the side of the Hong Kong protesters, who also fight to have independence, their voices heard and their lives valued. I hoped to see these threads in the new iteration. Instead we got an almost unrecognizable, twisted reflection of the original.” Color me dense I guess, but I don’t see how this version is “twisted” from the message of the original nor do I find any aspect of the invaders’ ethos to be in any way superior to the society Mulan and her family revere (even as they find their own methods of accommodating themselves to it). Yes, the culture is patriarchal and sexist but ultimately seems open to reconsiderations, at least where this grand warrior is concerned as she proves herself superior to any male in her army. I can’t speak from the perspective of those such as Grace Wong, but I also can’t see this movie as ultimately supportive of some retrograde “status quo,” so maybe it’s time to “attack me now” as well, despite my support of the grievances that form the reasons for the protests against this new Mulan, Yes, today she’d be railing against inequities in Chinese society, but (as I see it) she was doing that in the 5th century too.
In wanting to understand such responses differing so vividly from my own, I attempted to imagine my reaction to a film that challenged my cultural upbringing (which would have to be set in Texas because even with my decades in California I still don’t yet find myself all that invested in the history/traditions/assumptions of my adopted home which I'm happy to live in but have no true established grounding in, unlike how I was schooled in “Remember the Alamo!” consciousness every year in my birth state). The most obvious example I can think of is Lone Star (John Sayles, 1996) which challenges respect for law enforcement, familial stability, rejection of incest as well as ethnic hostilities, especially with the shocking final line: “Forget the Alamo.” Yet, in distancing myself from the sexist, racist heritage I grew up with I fully embraced Sayles’ film with all its rejection of things I’d formerly been conditioned to accept, tolerate, even cherish. Such renunciation of sexist, imperialist aspects of Chinese history/culture is what many supporters of the 1998 Mulan seem to feel is missing in this contemporary adaption; I’m still trying to fully comprehend what any of them (Chinese, Chinese-American, or Anglo) are demanding of this movie as they're insisting it falls short in failing to admonish most of what I see (and generally appreciate) on screen. Maybe I’ll never get it without understanding more of what made the animated version so attractive (except the obvious appeal of seeing one’s self in a popular movie, a rarity for many in the American not-so-melted-pot-after-all) to those who find so much fault with this remake, so I’ll just say I enjoyed seeing such a strong female character in the lead (no matter if she’s channeling Luke Skywalker or Harry Potter—but also female Jedi Rey Skywalker and witch Hermione Granger as well from those series) taking command of her situation, using her powers to defeat a cruel enemy, being accepted again by her family despite breaking tradition. Maybe I don’t “get it” as much as I should, maybe I’m not as “woke” as I could be, but this new Mulan works well enough for me, possibly will for you too although it represents a substantial financial investment which requires serious consideration before doling out the cash for it.
Bottom Line Final Comments: As I’ve just indicated above you can find a good number of critics (as well as those who post on YouTube) who will hammer this new Mulan into the ground, hoping something more worthy might rise like a phoenix from such extinction to further the respect so many seem to have had for the 1998 animated original, yet the CCAL is reasonably supportive overall of this adaptation, with the RT critics offering 75% positive reviews as the ones at Metacritic are their usual reserved selves with a 67% average score. As far as financial success goes, we don’t really know too much except Mulan’s already at #12 worldwide for 2020 but with a mere $37.6 million in box-office receipts from various countries outside the U.S. such as China, Thailand, Taiwan, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, and Malaysia (what it’s pulled in on Disney+ doesn’t factor into this, nor do I have any figures in this regard), a fairly flat response so far even compared to Tenet (Christopher Nolan) the current reigning champ in 16 countries (from Russia to France, U.K., Australia, South Africa, Saudi Arabia) pulling in $207.5 million globally to date ($29.5 million in reopened domestic [U.S.-Canada] theaters), but neither even begins to match Bad Boys for Life (Bill Fallah, Adil El Arbi) at $424.6 million gross worldwide ($204.4 domestically), which had the advantage of opening in mid-January 2020 before the pandemic shut down theaters globally, but it's still hanging around in a few places. I’ve given you many opinions on why you might boycott or just skip this live-action-remake of Mulan (the more substantial ones being protests against its [very-limited] connections to policies of Chinese repression against its own citizens, although those who don’t care for it aesthetically are just as vocal), yet if you can afford the steep price or put the sociopolitical concerns aside for a bit I think you’d find it inspirational in this time of global unrest over climate change, health disasters, ongoing wars, economic crises, immigration hostilities; it certainly offers no relief nor solutions to any of these human-caused-catastrophes but at least provides some sense of dedicated determination to achieve noble goals (unless your support lies with these ancient invaders, but they have few redeeming qualities except those argued by Xianniang), followed by a sense of rethought-familial-acceptance despite our hero's non-adherence to traditional expectations.
In closing, I’ll keep acknowledging sincere dismissals of this movie by Chinese viewers such as this man (5:47, spoilers again) who doesn’t like much of anything including the dubbed voice of Jet Li, the white makeup around the witch’s eyes, the thespian quality of Liu Yifei, the inherent chi power in Mulan, although he does (unlike others cited above) praise the special effects, the editing, and the acting of Donnie Yen, but I’ll try to counter this negativity on behalf of the many commentators (non-Chinese, I admit) who found admirable things about this revised-Mulan by focusing my review-closing-tactic of a Musical Metaphor onto 2 songs from the soundtrack (in deference to my lengthy presentation about the movie) that speak to the more positive intentions of the story, both sung by Christina Aguilera: (1) “Reflection” at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgVSbU4Eqk0 (it's an official video with imagery sort of serving as a summary of the movie; Aguilera also sang this song in the animated original) with its frank concern from Mulan: “I am now In a world where I Have to hide my heart And what I believe in But somehow I will show the world What’s inside my heart And be loved for who I am” (also under the credits there’s another version of this in Mandarin sung by Liu Yifei); (2) “Loyal Brave True” at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qo8gX1Evay8 (a video using just a continuing shot of Mulan with the addition of the lyrics) as Mulan questions her decisions to put herself in harm’s way for the good of her family, her country: “Out in the open No one to save me The kindest of whispers are cruel […] Who am I without my armor? Standing in my father’s shoes All I know is that it’s harder To be loyal, brave and true.” I’m sure New Zealander Caro, along with her cast and crew, sincerely attempted to honor these qualities in making this new version of Mulan, which some will accept as successful in seeing the result, others will complain that even with a woman director and a Chinese cast this movie’s content still falls short of ultimate diversity demands (probably that Chinese women should have been the director and screenwriters here [actual scribes were 3 women, 1 man, none of them apparently Chinese]), but you can’t please all of the people all of the time (Abraham Lincoln said something like that); however, “ 'I’ll let you be in my dreams if I can be in yours' “ ("Talkin' World War III Blues" on The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan 1963 album), which may be about the best we can hope for at this point, wherever we may reside on this troubled planet.
SHORT TAKES (spoilers also appear here)
Coastal Elites (Jay Roach) Rated TV-MA
A 90-min. anthology film using 5 (mostly) unrelated episodes of well-scripted-comedy with darker undertones as the characters—1 per each event—talk directly to the camera about various items mostly heaping criticism on Donald Trump, Mike Pence, Ivanka Trump from liberal perspectives; stars Bette Midler, Dan Levy, Issa Rae, Sarah Paulson, and Kaitlyn Dever.
Here’s the trailer:
Before reading further, please refer to the plot spoilers warning detailed far above.
This TV-film’s free on HBO cable channels so check local listings to see when it’s available. I can say emphatically I doubt you’ll be interested if you’re a Trump supporter because it’s set up to showcase the angst these characters (most from/on the East Coast, 1 in L.A.) feel/must deal with regarding Mr. MAGA. The structure shows both the social-distancing-reality of our 2020 lives as well as shooting strictures of keeping actors properly apart in dramatic expositions because the 5 episodes of this anthology are all done so each has just 1 actor talking directly to the camera, as if in a conversation with someone else we never see nor hear. In order, we have “Lock Her Up” where Bette Midler’s being interviewed in a police station, first setting up her identity as liberal, Jewish, devoted reader of The New York Times, patron of the NY Public Theater (this was originally written to be performed there, then was modified due to the coronavirus intrusion); her problem, though, is while getting coffee before a Theater performance (trying to get her mind off the daily anguish she feels about Trump) she gets into a conversation with a MAGA-hat-wearing-guy who delights in goading her. ⇒Finally, in anger, she grabs the hat, runs off with it, he chases her, knocks her down to retrieve the hat, then files a complaint, leading to her appearance at the police station where she decides she has to keep standing up to people like this; if needed, she’ll accept being locked up.⇐
In “Supergay” Dan Levy’s a gay guy carrying on a Zoom-like conversation (all him, though) with a psychiatrist about his anxieties over auditioning to be cast as a gay comic-book-inspired-superhero, upping the ante of his gayness at each callback, concerned he’s gone too far but proud of being able to be this emphatically-out, becoming especially incensed after seeing homophobic-VP Mike Pence on TV; ⇒he’s also encouraged these studio executives seem impressed with him, giving him reason to hope he’ll ultimately be cast in this much-desired-role.⇐ It gets really interesting in “The Blonde Cloud,” where Issa Rae’s having a computer-based-conversation with a close friend about just having returned from D.C. because her rich Dad’s being courted by Trump (only because the Prez feels comfortable with the similarly-well-off, not for any reason of personal admiration) so she accompanied him on the trip only to run into old private-schoolmate, Ivanka, who chats her up as if they’re friends (they’re not). ⇒What astounds Rae’s character, though, is Ivanka wants this woman, Callie Josephson, to accompany her in public, giving the sense to the media she has a Black BFF, purely to soften her image as Dad tries to steamroll toward re-election. After returning home, Callie calls Ivanka, begs off because of the heavy schedule due to her philanthropic/social-justice work.⇐
Next up is “Because I Have to Tell Someone” where goofyYouTube-wellness-guru (of sorts) Sarah Paulson finds she has to break away from her normal serenity-casts (accompanied by tranquil shots of forests, etc. put on to the green screen behind her) to share her difficult attempt to go home to her Wisconsin farming community where all of her relatives are ardent Trump supporters, expecting her to be the same. Even loving Mom, who seemed open to dialogue, quickly shuts that down with her declaration the whole COVID-19 pandemic is just a hoax. ⇒Clarissa (Paulson) then decides she just has to leave so Dad drives her to the airport where he hesitantly admits he’s not voting for Trump this time because of his disgust at how “Gen. Bone Spurs” (my line, not from the film) insulted the honor and memory of Sen. John McCain, which gives his daughter some encouragement that Trump’s Midwest “red wall” (again, my term) isn’t as rock-solid as he thinks.⇐ The final episode, “President Miriam,” doesn’t get into politics at all; rather, it features a sweet young nurse played by Kaitlyn Dever who voluntarily comes from the Midwest to NYC to help out in the hospitals due to the overwhelming COVID caseloads (she’s apparently being remotely-interviewed by a reporter), telling about how devastating it is when so many people are dying. ⇒Then we learn one of her patients was Miriam Nessler (Midler) from the opening episode whom Nurse Sharynn came to love because of her mix of optimism and sarcasm (she told her caregiver about a dream where she became President); Mariam was improving, set to be released, but when Sharynn came to see her off that afternoon she was dead.⇐ So, if you’re not infuriated by all of the blatant anti-Trump sentiment in these vignettes (occurring across the months of 2020) I think you’d find Coastal Elites to be a marvelous mix of rapid-fire-comedy and serious (even deadly) undertones, which for me was a jolt of hilarity and counterattack to what assaults me from D.C. every time I watch/read the news. Where the OCCU’s concerned, though, my far-left-glee's misplaced: RT and MC harmonize dismissal here in rare-near-agreement (!) with 56% positive reviews at the former, a 58% average score at the latter.
Once again, I’ll turn to a critic I often read, always respect (whatever our differences), to state the case for such rejection, Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times, who says: “The very title ‘Coastal Elites’ indicates this aims to be a winking, we’re-in-on-the-gag satire that pokes fun at the storytellers even as it’s squarely in favor of their political views. But in these literally one-sided monologues, the liberal viewpoint is given the first word, the last word and all the words in between. The net result comes across as a cleverly worded exercise in preaching to a choir that doesn’t need to be reminded of its views in such a heavy-handed manner.” Obviously, I don’t agree, but, then again, anything putting the screws to Trump and his band of mercenaries is likely to play well with me because I’m so far left I’m always in danger of falling into the Pacific Ocean (which I may do anyway for pure survival if these wildfires out here get much worse). I’ll counter-argue with Mick LaSalle from my own San Francisco Chronicle (whom I also may have differences with but not this time): “ 'Coastal Elites' captures the mood of the country — or perhaps the mood on the coasts — as we head into the general election, with the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter protests still in the headlines. [… We don’t know yet if the filmmakers] have recorded the dying squeals of a defeated humanism, or whether this is the portrait of a people who have had enough and are about to make a change. The movie leans toward hope. Audiences may take a wait-and-see attitude.” If you're a subscriber to HBO’s cable channels I’d highly recommend you give Coastal Elites a look; just be forewarned there’s no balance (nor would I want any; we can save that for those upcoming debates).
Oh, wait, before I go I need to provide a Musical Metaphor, so I’ll once again make it easy by using a song from this film’s final credits, “The End of the World” (written by Arthur Kent and Sylvia Dee, recorded by many), most famously done by Skeeter Davis at https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=xHa6a3FtPJg (from her 1963 album cleverly titled Skeeter Davis Sings The End of the World), likely referring as a closer in Coastal Elites to how those folks have felt for 4 years since Trump’s ascendency: “I wake up in the morning and I wonder Why everything’s the same as it was I can’t understand, no, I can’t understand How life goes on the way it does.” Along with those of us who embrace this film (OCCU be damned!), those who feel the sorrow in their hearts when they read all these recent books about the horrors of the Trump Presidency and its (swelled)head-honcho can probably appreciate the melancholy of this song but with hopes his Administration will soon be “ended when you said goodbye” next January. (Or was that just an R.E.M dream also? Stay tuned.)
Suggestions for TCM cablecasts
At least until the pandemic subsides Two Guys also want to encourage you to consider movies you might be interested in that don’t require subscriptions to Netflix, Amazon Prime, similar Internet platforms (we may well be stuck inside for longer than those 30-day-free-initial-offers), or premium-tier-cable-TV-fees. While there are a good number of video networks offering movies of various sorts (mostly broken up by commercials), one dependable source of fine cinematic programming is Turner Classic Movies (available in lots of basic-cable-packages) so I’ll be offering suggestions of possible choices for you running from Thursday afternoon of the current week (I usually get this blog posted by early Thursday mornings) on through Thursday morning of the following week. All times are U.S. Eastern Daylight so if you see something of interest please verify actual show time in your area for the day listed. These recommendations are my particular favorites (no matter when they’re on, although some of those early-day-ones might need to be recorded, watched later), but there’s considerably more to pick from you might like better; feel free to explore their entire schedule here. You can also click on that + sign just at the right of each listing to find additional, useful info.
I’ll bet if you checked that entire schedule link just above you’d find other options of interest, but these are the only ones grabbing my attention at present. Please dig in further for other possibilities.
Friday September 18, 2020
6:00 PM Grand Hotel (Edmund Goulding, 1932) Adapted from a Broadway play, early Sound Era spectacular, set in Berlin with many MGM stars: Greta Garbo, John Barrymore, Joan Crawford, Wallace Beery, Lionel Barrymore, Lewis Stone, Jean Hersholt. Chief among the plot lines is the romance between Garbo, a fading ballerina, and J. Barrymore, a suave jewel thief with ambitious plans, tragic results. Won Best Picture Oscar, only film to do so without getting another nomination.
Saturday September 19, 2020
3:30 PM Fail-Safe (Sidney Lumet, 1964) Serious version of Dr. Strangelove where radar at U.S. Strategic Air Command shows an unidentified aircraft heading for America; the alert’s cleared up
and cancelled but, due to a computer error, a bomber squadron receives attack orders on Moscow and can’t be recalled because Russia’s jamming their radios so something must be done to prevent all-out WW III. Stars Henry Fonda, Dan O’Herlihy, Walter Matthau, Larry Hagman, among others.
Sunday September 20, 2020
8:15 AM It Happened One Night (Frank Capra, 1934) Hailed, sometimes as origin of screwball comedy, as a desperate-reporter (Clark Gable) chases a big story when an heiress (Claudette Colbert) elopes (Dad’s mad), then disappears until Gable encounters her. 1 of 3 (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest [1975], The Silence of the Lambs [1991]) ever to win the top 5 Oscars: Best Picture, Director, Actor (Gable), Actress (Colbert), and Screenplay, Adapted in this case (Robert Riskin).
Monday September 21, 2020
10:15 PM The French Lieutenant’s Woman (Karel Reisz, 1981) Interesting concept, intersection of 2 time periods: Victorian England where an engaged man (Jeremy Irons) has an affair with a troubled woman (Meryl Streep), contemporary world where married (to other people) actors (Irons, Streep) portray these characters, to the point of having their own affair. Fascinating parallels, strong drama. Up for 5 Oscars including Best Actress (Streep), Adapted Screenplay (Harold Pinter) but won none.
Tuesday September 22, 2020
2:30 AM Kramer vs. Kramer (Robert Benton, 1979) Drama about a troubled wife/mother (Meryl Streep) needing to find herself, in conflict with a workaholic husband (Dustin Hoffman), so she leaves him to raise their young son (Justin Henry) by himself which he learns to do with help from a neighbor (Jane Alexander); Mom returns, sparking a fierce custody battle. Big Oscar winner: Best Picture, Director, Actor (Hoffman), Supporting Actress (Streep), noms for Henry and Alexander.
Wednesday September 23, 2020
2:30 AM Daughters of the Dust (Julie Dash, 1991) One of the most poetic films you'll ever hope to see, inspired by the director’s heritage of Gullah inhabitants of islands off Georgia; it all happens in one day (seems delightfully longer) as 5 generations of the Peazant family come together in 1902 to celebrate many of them heading North to integrate into society while a few others stay back, keeping the old ways from Africa. Exquisite cinematography, but Geechee dialect hard to follow sometimes.
If you’d like your own PDF of ratings/summaries of this week's reviews, suggestions for TCM cablecasts, links to Two Guys info click this link to access then save, print, or whatever you need.
Other Cinema-Related Stuff: Extra items you might be interested in: (1) An opinion on why the new Oscar Diversity Rules should be embraced by all Academy members; (2) Another opinion, that these new rules won't change much in an industry dominated by straight White men; (3) How these new Diversity Rules might specifically be applied; (4) Variety's suggestion of 19 films to be considered for various Oscar-category-nominations (seems reasonable for the ones I’ve seen, at least at the nomination level); (5) Wonder Woman 1984 release pushed to Christmas 2020; (6) Tenet tops $200 million globally, still slow U.S numbers. As usual for now I’ll close out this section with Joni Mitchell’s "Big Yellow Taxi" (from her 1970 Ladies of the Canyon album)—because “You don’t know what you’ve got ‘till it’s gone”—and a reminder to search streaming/rental/purchase movie options at JustWatch.
Related Links Which You Might Find Interesting:
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Here’s more information about Mulan [2020]:
https://movies.disney.com/mulan-2020
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_lgIYttJFE (18:34 analysis of the fight scene between conscripts Hua Jun and Chen Honghui with director Niki Caro and actors Liu Yifei, Boson An [this is how the star female actor calls herself—I assume surname first—so that’s how I’ll list her here although she’s noted either way in many listings I’ve seen, with my assumption her surname’s Liu])
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mulan_2020
https://www.metacritic.com/movie/mulan-2020
Here’s more information about Coastal Elites:
https://www.hbo.com/specials/coastal-elites
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCB6voE5lAs This dialogue with the director, screenwriter (Paul Rudnick), and cast seems useful but doesn’t seem to be available any more when I posted so you might check back later; in the meantime here’s an odd video (4:52) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRhpuw_vr18 where actors Bette Midler and Sarah Paulson talk about their scenes in this film but there’s no audio, just text over pictures of Midler as this seems like a news article with quotes along with background music; actually ends at 3:40, then continues to the end of the stated time with a “Thanks for Watching” graphic.
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/coastal_elites
https://www.metacritic.com/tv/coastal-elites/critic-reviews
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If you’d rather contact Ken directly rather than leaving a comment here please use my email address of kenburke409@gmail.com—type it directly if the link doesn’t work. (But if you truly have too much time on your hands you might want to explore some even-longer-and-more-obtuse-than-my-film-reviews-academic-articles about various cinematic topics at my website, https://kenburke.academia.edu, which could really give you something to talk to me about.)
If we did talk, though, you’d easily see how my early-70s-age informs my references, Musical Metaphors, etc. in these reviews because I’m clearly a guy of the later 20th century, not so much the contemporary world. I’ve come to accept my ongoing situation, though, realizing we all (if fate allows) keep getting older, we just have to embrace it, as Joni Mitchell did so well in "The Circle Game" offering sage advice even when she was quite young herself.
By the way, if you’re ever at The Hotel California knock on my door—but you know what the check-out policy is so be prepared to stay for awhile (quite an eternal while, in fact). Ken
P.S. Just to show that I haven’t fully flushed Texas out of my system here’s an alternative destination for you, Home in a Texas Bar, with Gary P. Nunn and Jerry Jeff Walker. But wherever the rest of my body may be my heart’s always with my longtime-companion, lover, and wife, Nina Kindblad, so here’s our favorite shared song—Neil Young’s "Harvest Moon"
—from the performance we saw at the Desert Trip concerts in Indio, CA on October 15, 2016 (as a full moon was rising over the stadium) because “I’m still in love with you,” my dearest, a never-changing-reality even as the moon waxes and wanes over the months/years to come.
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Finally, for the data-oriented among you, Google stats say over the past month the total unique hits at this site were 9,927 (as always, we thank all of you for your ongoing support with our hopes you’ll continue to be regular readers); below is a snapshot of where and by what means those responses have come from within the previous week (with appreciation for all those unspecified “Others” and joy as we've connected with all continents except Antarctica [penguins don't have Wi-Fi I suppose]):
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