Thursday, January 4, 2024

Short Takes on Maestro, Priscilla, Dress Code, Showing Up, and some other cinematic topics you might care for

Some 2024 Appetizers (from 2023) for You

Reviews and Comments by Ken Burke


 Happy New Year to our worldwide readership from Film Reviews from Two Guys in the Dark.  Here I’ll review 4 cinematic offerings I saw while on an end-of-2023-break, presented in order of their stars-ratings.  May 2024 be a prosperous, useful time for you (even in the face of all the current difficulties we’re trying to rise above), with these postings as an attempt to give you something else to think about as we all struggle with those complexities of challenging national/international events.


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) if they’re supportive or the OCCU (Often Cranky Critics Universe) when they go negative.  However, due to COVID concerns I’m mostly addressing streaming options with limited visits to theaters, where I don’t think I’ve missed much anyway, though better options may be on the horizon.  (Note: Anything in bold blue [some may look near purple] is a link to something more in the review.)


My reviews’ premise: “You can’t please everyone, so you got to please yourself.”

(from "Garden Party" by Rick Nelson and the Stone Canyon Band, 1972 album of the same name)

          

SHORT TAKES

            

Normally, I offer the following warning for anyone who decides to read my reviews in this goofy blog:


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 $ (as well as recognizing those readers like me who just aren’t that tech-savvy).  To help any of you who want to learn more details yet avoid these all-important plot-reveals I’ll identify any give-away sentences/sentence-clusters with colors plus arrows: 

⇒The first and last words will be noted with arrows and red.⇐ OK, now continue on if you prefer.


However, given that my first 2 reviews this time around are about biographical subjects you can easily get extensive details about, I see no point in that tactic in these instances so read all you want.


           Maestro (Bradley Cooper)   rated R   131 min.


Here’s the trailer:



 In this marvelous biopic we switch from a focus on a musician’s companion (as we'll see below in Priscilla) to instead emphasize another famous musician, Leonard Bernstein (Cooper, who also co-wrote the script with Josh Singer), a concise biography of much of the adult life of this famous composer/conductor, beginning with a quote from him which gives us an insight into what we’re about to see: “A work of art does not answer questions, it provokes them; and its essential meaning is in the tension between the contradictory answers.”  Then we find elderly Bernstein (in about 1988 when he was 70 [born 1918, died 1990]) being filmed for a documentary, giving more advice (to help us further appreciate what we’ll be seeing over the next couple of hours): “If summer doesn’t sing in you then nothing sings in you.  And if nothing sings in you then you can’t make music.”  (Later we find he’s quoting his deceased wife, Felicia [Carey Mulligan].)  From there we jump back to 1943 as the imagery changes from color to black & white, the format from wide-screen to the old 4x3 ratio so common in film and TV until the wider screens from roughly the 1960s to today, although when color returns to this story the older ratio continues except for a few brief returns to that opening scene doc.


 Back in the early WW II era our protagonist suddenly goes from relative obscurity to fame when the New York Philharmonic conductor, Artur Rodziński, falls ill, requiring his assistant, Bernstein, to take over with no rehearsal (great tracking shots connected to this as he gets the phone call that will ultimately lead to his fame), yet his mastery is immediate, bringing about enthusiastic audience approval.  Despite such emerging notice, though, he had 2 aspects of his life which could easily prove problematic: He was Jewish (a trusted friend encouraged him to change his name to “Bern,” but he wouldn’t do it) and homosexual (that aspect he chose to keep hidden, despite being easily attracted to various men as the years go on).  His sexual preferences were challenged, though, when he met actress Felicia Montealegre, leading quickly to marriage (and 3 children over their extensive time together), although affairs with men weren’t put aside, causing ongoing trouble in their wedded existence (at one point he lies to daughter Jamie [Maya Hawke] who’s heard rumors about Dad, is troubled by them).  Bernstein’s fame continues to grow over his many years, with likely his most-well-known-work (for those of us not so attuned to classical constructions) being the music for the famous play (Jerome Robbins, 1957) & film (1961, Robert Wise, Robbins)West Side Story.


 At one point, though, tensions erupt between Leonard and Felicia, but they determine to remain married, reconcile after his triumphant conducting of Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony at England’s Ely Cathedral in 1973 (something Cooper had to studiously-prepare for).  Sadly for them, Felicia contracts breast cancer, dies in 1978 leaving Leonard heartbroken, but, even while he's always reminisces about her in his later years he’s still teaching conducting, partying, having fleeting affairs with male students.  While I know little about Bernstein’s life and work, and I’m sure much more about his long career could have been explored if the producers had felt comfortable extending the running time by another hour or so in the vein of other 2023 impactful-offerings like Oppenheimer (Christopher Nolan [review in our August 17, 2023 posting]) and Killers of the Flower Moon (Martin Scorsese [review in our November 9, 2023 posting]but probably decided against that as most of what we see Bernstein invested in herein addition to his adoration of his wife, along with those ongoing-affairsis music that likely wouldn’t be a big attraction for the masses; whether I’m right about that or not, one aspect of this film that got some bad press (reminiscent of Nicole Kidman over a decade ago portraying Virginia Woolf in The Hours [Stephen Daldry, 2002]) was Cooper’s use of a large prosthetic nose which led to some charges of anti-Semitism (a likely response given the fierce U.S. conflicts over the current horrid war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza), although this portrayal was supported by both Bernstein's children and the Anti-Defamation League.  As for historical accuracy within the film, this video (12:08 [ad interrupts at 9:00]) explores 10 items done right or wrong, with the main fictionalizations being the evolving relationship with Felicia didn’t move as fast as depicted, Bernstein was not comfortable with the double life he was leading, and he also had some affairs with women during his married years (although he was clearly more frequent with men).


 As with any biography that chooses to incorporate fictionalized-aspects rather than being an actual documentary, surely there are things about this film some might find need to criticize (its CCAL scores are high but not outstanding, even as it appears on many critics' Top 10 lists for 2023, has been nominated for many awards, is included among the American Film Institute’s Top 10 of the year, will likely be on mine as well, once I finally see more of the likely contenders), but for me it was a marvelous experience to watch with its focus on a most-complex leading man whose wife was equally-complex in her own right, as the actors portraying them both did superb work, which should lead to some award-wins as decisions are made in the coming months.  Maestro hit domestic theaters on November 22, 2023, but, as with standard Netflix procedures, I have little info on how many or if it’s still up there on the big screen anywhere (there is report of about $337.7 thousands gross from a few international sites), so if you’re interested you need to turn to Netflix streaming, with the CCAL reasonably-encouraging such, supported by a cluster of 79% Rotten Tomatoes positive reviews plus a 77% Metacritic average score.  Given Bernstein’s extensive musical contributions/connections over the decades, I’m sure there may be more appropriate choices for a Musical Metaphor to accompany Maestro, but for me you can’t do better than West Side Story, especially the "Tonight" quintet as we see Jets, Sharks, Anita, Tony, and Maria with their differing expectations of what will become of the planned-rumble as all these characters harmonize-yet-clash, just as the composer’s life was a constant series of harmonies and clashes.  Even if you have little interest for the kind of music Bernstein put most of his energies into (the focus of what we encounter in this powerful film) you owe it to yourself to see Cooper at his directorial and performance best (along with Mulligan’s magnificent presence in her depiction); this biopic is truly-top-flight-filmmaking.

             

             Priscilla (Sofia Coppola)   rated R   113 min.


Here’s the trailer:



 Likewise, this docudrama is based on an actual person, Priscilla Beaulieu Presley, and her memoir Elvis and Me (co-authored with Sandra Harmon, 1985) so it’s told from the perspective of being a 14-year-old girl (Cailee Spaeny) on a military base in Bad Nauheim, Germany in 1959 where her father was stationed, being introduced to 24-year-old draftee/rock-and-roll-celebrity Elvis Presley (Jacob Elordi), also stationed there, which led to his immediate infatuation with her (despite her parents’ concerns), dating until Elvis returned to the States, then contacting her again in 1962, somehow convincing her parents to let her come live with him in Graceland (Memphis, TN in 1963) where they’d enjoy a chaste relationship until marriage (they’re often shown sleeping—just sleeping—together; how either of them managed to do that without giving in to obvious urges is beyond me), she’d finish high school, then see where life takes them when she becomes an adult.  Life in this gated retreat isn’t what she’d imagined, though, as Elvis is frequently in L.A. making those stupid musicals so Priscilla spends her time with Elvis’ doting grandmother (Lynne Griffin), the present of a little dog to keep the girl company, and constant reprimands from his domineering stepmother (Stephanie Moore); when he’s home, Elvis is domineering in his own way, telling Priscilla to dye her hair black, pile on the black eye-shadow, dress in his approved fashions, generally do what he tells her, start to share some of his prescription drugs (mostly downers for her at first but uppers for him).


 Adding to Priscilla’s growing anguish are the tabloid rumors of an affair with Elvis’ Viva Las Vegas (George Sidney, 1964) co-star, Ann-Margaret; she even flies on her own to L.A. to confront him, but he just sends her back to Graceland (where she uses his fame to help cheat her way through her Catholic school graduation).  Finally, they marry in 1967, but the happiness there is soon tempered by his career pressures with manager Col. Tom Parker (not shown here; if you want a large dose of him played by Tom Hanks, see Elvis [Baz Luhrmann, 2022; review in our July 22, 2022 posting]) who refuses to let him go on an international tour, sets him up for extended shows in Las Vegas, which just darkens Elvis’ private moods, increases his drug use, provides Priscilla with little alone time with her husband because his extended posse is nearly always around.  She does manage to get pregnant, though, with Lisa Marie born in 1968.  Marriage tensions continue to grow, they begin to lead increasingly-separate-lives, she gets involved with karate instructor Mike Stone (Evan Annisette), even as Elvis temporarily gets hooked on metaphysics before renouncing such interests.


 When she visits drunken Elvis in his hotel room in 1973 the clash leads to divorce, with this story ending as she drives away from Graceland for the final time (although the book apparently goes a bit further, to Elvis’ death in 1977).  In that the real Priscilla Presley served as an executive producer of this movie, it certainly had her approval and seems to have largely presented events as they actually occurred (see this Variety article and this "right & wrong" video [12:38; ad interrupts at 2:40] for verification); however, before her death in January 2023 Lisa Marie Presley, upon seeing the script for the movie in September 2022, slammed it as using “shockingly vengeful and contemptuous” depictions of her father (although she enjoyed Elvis, but maybe because there he’s depicted more as a victim of Parker rather than the abuser he comes off as in Priscilla; apparently Elvis Presley Enterprises didn’t care for Priscilla’s take on her life with “The King” either, as they denied Coppola the use of Elvis’ music in this movie [Sofia still uses a great soundtrack, even if some of the tunes aren’t period-correct]), with Lisa Marie knowing she’d ultimately be opposing Mom about this project.


 I’ll leave it up to you to decide whether Elvis is depicted more accurately in Elvis or Priscilla (the actual Priscilla gives her thoughts on a few of the scenes [1:50] from the movie named for her), but I will say Spaeny does a marvelous job of presenting the lovestruck-but-troubled-woman in the latter, while Elordi does a decent job of rendering the King of Rock and Roll but is nowhere in the same league as Austin Butler in the former (here’s a comparison [14:30] for your consideration which generally agrees with me; ad interrupts at 10:25)Priscilla opened domestically (U.S.-Canada) on October 27, 2023, its widest release in 2,361 theaters and can still be found in 115 of them, has so far grossed $20.9 million, but is mostly available now on streaming platforms such as Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, etc. for a $19.99 rental, which the CCAL would encourage with RT positive reviews at 83%, the  MC average score at 79%I’ll leave you with my usual wrap-up device of a Musical Metaphor, which also won’t come from Elvis (or even Dolly Parton’s version of “I Will Always Love You,” the final cut on the Priscilla soundtrack) but instead Paul Simon with “Graceland” (from his 1986 album of the same name) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VTcBO4q5kY (2012 concert at London’s Hyde Park) due to lyrics I find in sync with this movie such as she said losing love / Is like a window  in your heart / Everybody sees you’re blown apart / Everybody sees the wind blow […] And I may be obliged to defend / Every love, every ending / Or maybe there’s no obligations now / Maybe I’ve a reason to believe / We all will be received in Graceland.”  I’d recommend you to see Priscilla, but actually going to Graceland is another decision for you entirely.

            

                                    Dress Code (Joseph Pupello)
                                      Not Rated/TV-MA   108 min.


Here’s the trailer:



 Occasionally, Film Reviews from Two Guys in the Dark gets requests from truly independent filmmakers to offer comments on their work, something we greatly appreciate, try to do as time and energy allow.  For this posting we can gladly call your attention to a unique look at mob movies, interestingly-written by Peter Panagos, competently-directed by Pupello, with an outstanding lead performance from Gerald Garilli.  In this story we first meet young adult Bobby Russo (Garilli) on a nighttime job with a few other guys, a grave being dug for some unfortunate soul who turns out to be one of the men in this group, proving history with this organization and some sense of loyalty to the “family” ultimately doesn’t count for anything as circumstances might change, an underlying message throughout.  Then we shift back to New Jersey in the 1960s where teenage Bobby (Nicholas Giordano) is in constant conflict with gruff, minor-mob-guy Dad, Dominic Russo (Freddie Maas), even as the kid gets emotional support from Mom Joyce Russo (Alex De Trolio) and likewise-mobster Uncle Rocco Russo (Frank Osso), more direct protection from close friend/classmate Chris Barlow (Kevin Williamson) who stands up to bullies hassling academically-successful Bobby for quitting the high-school’s baseball team, calling him “pussy” until Chris (a Black kid adopted by the Irish Donnelly family [Dom doesn’t like them either] when the parents didn’t think they could have their own kid, then daughter Claire [Maria Marinaro] came along, leaving Chris as a near-outsider) intervenes, followed by Bobby pulling out a fake gun, concluding the near-confrontation immediately. 


  At home, Bobby leaves another verbal pounding from Dad to seek solace in his room, where we begin to learn of his secret attraction to makeup and women’s clothes (what little Dom knows of this leads to the assumption his son’s gay, which Bobby denies).  Jumping ahead 10 years Joyce has died from cancer as Bobby (now in a romance with Claire) is being slowly brought into the local mob headed by Carmine Perillo (Ronnie Rainero), who pays more attention to Rocco than Dom, setting up another area of anger toward his son.  In a flashback we see Joyce taking Bobby to a doctor to diagnose his gender-bending-interests, with the doc wanting to enroll the kid in psychoanalysis to fix his “problem,” a choice Joyce angrily rejects.  Back to the story’s present, Rocco tells Bobby he needs to tone down his anger, which is necessary as events begin to pile up: Rocco wants to give Bobby a cushy job at the port which angers Alphonse “Allie Boy” Moretti (Edward John Socienski) who feels he’s being passed over, Claire finds she’s pregnant and (like a good Catholic, even one in the realm of the underworld) wants to marry Bobby who still harbors his secret drag obsessions, which he tries to purge himself of in a celebratory night in full dress, makeup, and wig at a drag bar.


 Next day he gets a message from Allie, goes to a meeting where he’s attacked (by chance, Chris who’s deteriorated into a junkie owed Allie large cash, Bobby was supposed to provide but went to his club escapade so Allie killed Chris) with photos taken to reveal Bobby’s secret (flashback: Joyce tries to help her son, giving him a locked box of women’s clothes he’s never to let Dom see) with the next step to Rocco (now in charge after Carmine’s death).  We see Rocco, Allie, and 2 others about to descend on Bobby until Rocco suddenly shoots Allie from behind; meanwhile, Bobby mistakenly terrified he’s to be killed comes home, quickly gathers up Claire and a few belongings, but when they’re in the parking lot with Rocco trying to talk to him, Bobby’s suddenly assaulted by someone else.  In a final scene we see Bobby in bed with Claire, talking to the unborn child in her womb, giving advice to the impending-baby including to never be a Yankees fan.  I’m not sure if this scene's from a later time, with Bobby surprisingly alive, or from an earlier day, especially as he’s shown with no wounds from either Allie’s punches or the later attack.  This isn’t a narrative shortcoming, though, as the ambiguous ending (for me) makes the whole thing more intriguing, more complex than the average Mafia movie.⇐   According to other reviews I’ve read (however, nothing in Metacritic; when you go to this RT site you’ll find only 5—all positive, yielding a rare “unicorn” 100% rating—yet at this alternative RT site you find nothing [?]; instead, go the 28 [more after I add mine] IMDb reviews with lots of supportive comments), this film’s been shown in many festivals over 2023 (winning Best Actor for Garilli, Best Screenplay, Best First Time Director at the NY Oniros Film Awards), has much support from those fortunate enough to see it, which you can do for free on the tubi streaming platform, accessed through a Roku box or go directly to it on a computing-device, although you do have to endure commercial interruptions (from 1 up to 6) roughly every 15 minutes


  It’s worth it to deal with those distractions, because what you get’s a unique take on mob life, with an especially-compelling-performance from Garilli (with a tasteful, nonjudgmental approach to Bobby’s gender-nonconformity—yet honestly showing the trauma he encounters).  As for a Musical Metaphor, I’ll use “You Don’t Know Me” (written by Eddy Arnold and Cindy Walker in 1955, extensively-recorded, probably the most famous version’s by Ray Charles [1962 Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music album]) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeD5lGIOs8s  because—even though this song’s about a failed male-female-relationship—symbolically, it notes Bobby’s existence is more complicated than most all who knew him could anticipate, even Claire: “And anyone can tell, you think you know me well / Well, you don’t know me.”  It’s more about the spirit of the song here than the actual words, but I think Bobby would appreciate the intention of it.

               

     Showing Up (Kelly Riechardt)   rated R   108 min.


Here’s the trailer:



 When director/co-screenwriter Reichardt (with co-writer Jon Raymond) set out to construct this low-key story of interpersonal relationships the scripters might have been too much influenced by binging episodes of NBC TV’s Seinfeld (1989-‘98), a “show about nothing,” because that’s largely how this big-screen-story evolves as well (even as I'm a devoted Seinfeld fan), as little development occurs within the presented-situations, little growth occurs in the characters (which may have already gotten me into Spoiler territory here, so I’ll try to be circumspect with details as events “progress”).  Setting here is vaguely in the present as sculptor Lizzy (Michelle Williams) also works as an administrator at Portland’s Oregon College of Art and Craft (a real place, which closed in 2019) under the supervision of her mother, Jean (Maryann Plunkett).  Lizzy’s collection of various small female figurines is set to soon have a show in a local gallery, but the artist needs more time to get the final additions glazed, yet she’s distracted by the lack of hot water in her apartment (hasn’t showered in a couple of weeks) because her arts colleague/landlord, Jo (Hong Chau) has 2 shows of her own coming up so she pays little attention to LIzzy’s complaints, yet has enough time to rig up a tire swing in the back yard.


 One night a pigeon flies into Lizzy’s place where Ricky, her cat, attacks it before she can throw it back out the window.  However, the next day she finds Jo with the wounded bird in a box, is pressured into taking care of it for a short time, soon sympathizes with the injured creature, takes it to a vet where it gets proper care (but won’t be able to fly for a bit) although LIzzy’s now out $150, a financial strain which adds to her problems, including concern over how retired Dad (Judd Hirsch) lets a couple of wanderers move in with him.  When she visits Dad (who doesn’t share her concern), she finds he hasn’t been in touch with her brother, Sean (John Magaro), for 6 months so she goes to see Sean who’s reclusive and delusional, upset his TV no longer get the channel for his favorite reruns of The Twilight Zone (original run on CBS TV 1959-’64).  Lizzy talks to Mom about Sean, but she’s not concerned, thinks he's a misunderstood genius, even though when LIzzy visits again she finds him digging a large hole in his back yard, either as an “earthworks” art project or under direction of strange voices.  When LIzzy’s show opens Sean’s not there despite promising to attend, worrying his sister until he does arrive, starts devouring the cheese appetizers as his dinner (Dad’s there too with his “houseguests,” but he just tells Sean not to eat all of the cheese).⇐


 Jo also shows up, carrying the pigeon, its damaged wing now unbandaged so it flies around the gallery until it comes to rest.  Sean gently picks it up, takes it outside so it can fly away; Lizzy and Jo look for it, find nothing, but at least they seem better connected.⇐  This movie opened domestically back on April 7, 2023, made $754.5 thousand gross ($1,222 million worldwide), but now it’s on streaming where you can watch for free if you subscribe to Paramount+, fubo, etc. or pay $4.99 for rental at Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, etc.  It slipped by me completely last spring, but when I saw it had been nominated for the Palme d’Or at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival and was included in the 2023 National Board of Review’s Top 10 Independent Films (also tied for #10 of the Top 10 2023 films by the influential journal, Cahiers du Cinéma), I decided to give it a look (my admiration for Williams’ work another positive factor), but I can’t say I’m as enthused as the CCAL, where RT positives are 88%, MC average score is a near-match at 85% (they say it's "Universal Acclaim").


 Certainly these are potentially-interesting-characters, although Lizzy’s the only one we really learn much about, so for me the whole exercise is well-meaning (and I always—with my undergrad art degree—appreciate seeing attention given to struggling artists), but it just didn’t click all that well for me interests.  Paraphrasing the Seinfeld episode (season 4, "The Pitch") where Jerry and George are trying to sell a project for “a show about nothing” (a marvelous meta-situation, given the actual series) I suppose you could say I should appreciate this experience because it was in a movie theater, but as fictional NBC president Russell Dalrymple replies to George, when he says people would watch his “nothing” show “Because it’s on TV,” Dalrymple shoots him down with “Not yet.” (He also lies when he says his surname doesn’t contain a “y.”)  Still, the movie’s overall pleasant to watch so I’ll leave you with a mild encouragement to see it along with my final Musical Metaphor of this posting, Paul McCartney’s “Another Day” (originally a 1971 non-album-single, now on the 1987 All the Best! album) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxZ180ZeG7I (live 2013 performance, more energetic than this movie for me), somewhat because it’s so close to the start of the new McCartney book, The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present, which I got as a present this Christmas so I saw details about this song right away, but mostly I’m using it because many of the lyrics remind me clearly of LIzzy: “At the office where the papers grow, she takes a break / Drinks another coffee, and she finds it hard to say awake […] So sad, so sad / Sometimes she feels so bad.”  Of course for Lizzy, there’s no “man of her dreams comes to break the spell,” not even the one-night-stand in the song (in truth, our sculptor doesn’t need “rescuing” anyway, but it might be a nice diversion for her); Lizzy constantly finds the strength to carry on, but where she’ll be carried to is not for this tale to tell.


Related Links Which You Might Find Interesting:   


(1) 25 recent theatrical releases now on streaming; (2) Variety's ongoing 2024 Oscar predictions; (3) Variety's opinion of 2023's worst movies (fortunately, I haven’t seen most of them, though I disagree about Asteroid City [Wes Anderson; review in our July 26, 2023 posting]); (4) Barbie broke records but studios employed fewer female directors for top 2023 films; (5) How "Barbenheimer," Taylor Swift, and Sound of Freedom broke box-office rules; (6) Mickey Mouse enters public domain; & (7) Universal tops Disney at 2023 global box-office.


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