AT ETERNITY’S GATE (2018)
Few artists have attracted
the attention of filmmakers and actors through the years as often as Vincent
van Gogh.
Kirk Douglas gave one of his strongest
performances as the Dutch painter in Vincente Minnelli’s “Lust for Life” (1956)
as did Tim Roth in Robert Altman’s “Vincent & Theo” (1990). Now, painter
and filmmaker Julian Schnabel has added another fascinating look at this short,
sad, well-documented life.
Willem Dafoe, one
of the most underrated actors working in Hollywood, is nothing short of riveting
as Van Gogh, offering a portrayal that brings this fragile man to life. The
actor illuminates how, living day to day in a struggle with mental illness and
poverty, this artist still could create some of the most inspired paintings of
the 19th Century.
As a painter
himself, Schnabel is the perfect director to explore this complex genius,
clearly understanding the sacrifices necessary for great art. I don’t know
Schnabel’s art, but as a film artist he has shown himself to be an inventive
filmmaker and superb director of actors. His 2007 film, “The Diving Bell and
Butterfly” is one of the best movies of this century.
Like previous van
Gogh films, the charismatic Paul Gauguin (Oscar Isaac) steals his
scenes—Anthony Quinn won an Oscar as him in the 1956 film—as he befriends
Vincent after Theo van Gogh (Rupert Friend) helps him sell some of his
paintings. Vincent and Gauguin go to Arles in the south of France to paint,
until van Gogh’s paranoia breaks the friendship.
“At Eternity’s
Gate” is less concerned about biographical details than capturing Vincent’s
mental state that resulted in both amazing art and a lonely, depressing life
that ended at age 37. Looking into Dafoe’s clear, hypnotic eyes is like
travelling back to the 1870s and searching for answers about this simple man
whose paintings now sell for tens of millions of dollars. Unquestionably, Dafoe
deserves an Oscar for his rigorous, intense portrayal.
Near the end of
the film, a priest (played by Mads Mikkelsen, the distinctive Dutch actor), who
runs the institution where van Gogh lives, tells his patient how “ugly” one of
his painting is, thinking he is just wasting his life. But he’s clearly astonished
by van Gogh’s explanation of art and the place it holds in his life. This
madman sees what others cannot.
VICE (2018)
Writer-director Adam
McKay, as he did with “The Big Short,” never lets you forget you are watching a
cinematic creation. I’m naturally resistance to this collage-style of
filmmaking, with its mixture of news reports, partisan documentary,
over-the-top satire (fake closing credits roll 40 minutes into the film) and
traditional narrative storytelling.
Thoroughly entertaining and eviscerating, “Vice” may be the most
original bio-pic I’ve ever seen.
Dick Cheney, protege
of longtime Republican insider Donald Rumsfeld, went on to one of the most
successful political “supporting” players in U.S. history. He became President
Ford’s chief of staff, spent 10 years as a Wyoming congressman, served as
President George H.W. Bush’s defense secretary, spent the Clinton years as Halliburton
CEO and then was an unusually powerful vice president for George W. Bush. What
the film posits is that Cheney, first under Rumsfeld’s guidance and then later
with his own team, gamed the system to shift decision-making power to the
executive branch, taking advantage of an easily influenced George W. to fashion
a very different America in the wake of Sept. 11.
Christian Bale delivers yet another
chameleon performance, completely altering his body and voice to become a very
convincing Cheney (though he’s a bit old to play the younger version). But more
than the physical likeness, Bale, through McKay’s fine script, nails the
conniving, ruthless, razor-focused thought process that made Cheney so
effective.
Sam Rockwell
gives yet another spot-on supporting performance as good-old boy George, while
Steve Carrell is outstanding as the ultimate power-grubbing, cynical Rumsfeld
and Amy Adams gives a Lady Macbeth-like turn as Lynne Cheney. In one of the
film’s most unusual turns, the narrator (Jesse Plemons) eventually becomes an
on-screen character in the movie.
But this is
really McKay’s show as he channels the agitprop filmmaking of Michael Moore and
Oliver Stone and the loopy surrealism of Wes Anderson to fashion a portrait of
Cheney that the man himself might enjoy.
The director
does overplay his hand, especially near the end when Cheney undergoes heart
transplant surgery, or earlier when he has Dick and Lynne recite Shakespeare
verse, yet this whirlwind of a film is at its best when it exposes the ease
that the ship of state can be steered into dark waters. As we witnessed daily
in 2018, all it takes is one very determined man who refuses to play by the
rules.
ROMA (2018)
Alfonzo Cuarón’s
new film represents a sharp left turn from his best-known films, “Children of
Men” and Oscar-winner “Gravity,” as he takes an unsentimental journey into his
experiences growing up in a Mexico City neighborhood.
As seen through
the eyes of nanny Cleo (a stoic, but unforgettable Yalitza Aparicio), the
family is thoroughly ordinary, at least until the husband leaves them for a
younger woman. Even that doesn’t offer much excitement, as the mother (Marina
de Tavira) keeps the children in the dark about the real reason their father
isn’t around.
Cleo, after a
brief affair with a self-indulgent martial arts enthusiast, finds herself
pregnant, which introduces poignancy into this otherwise emotionally remote
film.
There is
something about a skillful director (Cuarón also serves as his DP on the black-and-white
film) putting his youth on film—even when it’s rather unremarkable—that spurs
critics to become enraptured. Part of the appeal is the leisurely pace and the
downplaying of dramatic (Hollywood) acting he utilizes. Obviously influenced by
the style of French New Wave director Agnès Varda, Cuarón fills the picture
with slow panning shots across both interior and exterior sets. Varda made this
her trademark, capturing street life in early features like “La Pointe Courte”
(1955) and “Cleo from 5 to 7” (1962). Nothing wrong with copping from legendary
filmmakers, but style alone doesn’t make for good cinema.
To me, of the
seven Cuarón feature films I’ve seen, this is the least impressive and, most
certainly, the least entertaining.
I laughed once
during the film: When the family goes to the cinema to see “Marooned,” the 1969
American film about a rescue attempt to save astronauts stuck in space.
Clearly, Cuarón never forgot that film, using it as inspiration for “Gravity.” A
few more off-beat moments like that could have elevated what now plays like a
lovely photographed, but self-indulgent, art film.
GREEN BOOK (2018)
This is the
feel-good movie of the year—and I don’t mean that as a compliment.
Based on a true
story (though not very truthful according to relatives of Don Shirley), the
film shows the persistent racism that remained in the 1960s, especially
throughout the South, as seen through the experiences of Shirley, a black
pianist, and his driver for the tour, Tony Vallelonga, an Italian-American
bouncer.
Shirley, played
with imperious arrogance by Mahershala Ali, is a classically trained musician
who rakes in the cash by playing sophisticated pop—a hideous but popular genre
(think Liberace) that thankfully disappeared by the early ‘70s—for white,
country-club crowds. Shirley wants it both ways: He plays Uncle Tom while
performing, yet expects to be treated with dignity off-stage (he insists on
being called “Dr. Shirley”) instead of like the hired help.
Viggo Mortensen
is a bit more believable, playing the bigoted driver who, temporarily losing
his job as a doorman at the Copacabana nightclub, takes the driving gig out of
desperation. It’s never clear if Tony starts out as a racist or just acts like
one because of everyone’s attitude around him.
The
plot, and virtually every scene, as directed and co-written by Peter Farrelly
(“There’s Something About Mary,” “Dumb and Dumber”), plays out predictable and the
characters evolve exactly as you know they will from the opening scenes. The
film is filled with stereotypes and tropes used for obvious laughs or shocks
for those unfamiliar with America in the 1960s.
The audience is
meant to be aghast when Shirley admits that he doesn’t know (and love)
contemporary black music like Tony does. The film takes the stereotype one step
further when the pair visit a bar frequented by African-Americans featuring an
R&B band. When Shirley is coaxed on stage and begins performing, he comes
alive, finally enjoying being on stage. It is as if a black man can only be
satisfied by playing “his people’s” popular music.
While “Green Book” doesn’t quite stoop to “Driving Miss
Daisy” levels, it certainly doesn’t deserve the accolades it has received or the
coming Oscar nominations. This is a Lifetime movie of the week for those who
still need to be reminded what American racism looks like.
THE FAVOURITE (2018)
Of the two
British monarchy films released at the end of the year, “The Favourite” has won
the critics’ eye, while “Mary Queen of Scots” (see below) has mostly been
dismissed as over-hyped history. But, to me, director Yorgos Lanthimos’
concoction about a pair of cousins seeking favor with Queen Anne, who ruled for
just 12 years in the early 1700s, plays like a stitched-together collection of
odd scenes with little or no substance or consequence.
In an
outstanding performance, veteran British actress Olivia Colman portrays Anne as
a repulsive, pitiful, mentally unstrung woman who deserves the crown about as
much as her pet rabbits. She’s shown as
an uninterested pawn of Lady Sarah (a rather overwrought Rachel Weisz) and
Sarah’s military husband Lord Marlborough (Mark Gatiss), who convinced her to
ignore her advisers and continue the war against France. Abigail (Emma Stone)
shows up in search of a handout from distance relatives and quickly sees a way
to supplant Sarah as the queen’s confidante.
I didn’t find
much of the one-upmanship or the way Queen Anne is made to look a fool very
funny. At times, it felt as if the lead actress and her director were working
toward different goals. Lanthimos, first and foremost a stylist, brings a
distinctive look to the film, which feels contemporary despite its 19th
Century setting.
What worked for
me in “The Lobster,” didn’t in this film. While there’s enough well-staged
scenes and off-beat acting to keep one’s attention, the film never sticks with
a tone or convinces me that this is a tale worth telling.
MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS (2018)
Few historical
dramas not written by Shakespeare (the Bard was born during the events of this
story) have endured like the rivalry between royal cousins Elizabeth and Mary
in the late 16th Century.
When Mary returns
to Scotland after spending most of her life in France, where she served as
queen consort before her husband’s death, she immediately divides the country
and raises concerns in London. Under her half-brother (James McArdle), an
uneasy alliance was maintained between Catholics and Protestants, but with Mary
back, no one is happy as she managed to insult leaders of both religions. In
fact, she seems to be more interested in establishing a road to the British
throne for her future heirs than ruling Scotland.
It becomes a
race to marry Mary to the “right” man and produce a future king. Back in
England, Elizabeth, despite constant nagging by her closest adviser William
Cecil (the always reliable Guy Pearce), remains unmarried and, as we know, will
die without an heir.
While it seems
obvious now, previous versions of this story never explored the resentment the
men serving these queens must have felt. Director Josie Rourke, a veteran of
London theater, and screenwriter Beau Willimon, the creator of “House of
Cards,” relying on historian John Guy’s recent book on Mary, place the blame
for the inability of these two to form an alliance on men with a very different
agenda, working against them. It’s a very believable theory, but, of course,
the idea of these two powerful women hating one another is a more appealing,
dramatically fueling performances through the years by such luminaries as Sarah
Bernhardt, Katherine Hepburn, Bette Davis, Vanessa Redgrave, Glenda Jackson and
Cate Blanchett.
Saoirse Ronan,
the 24-year-old, three-time Oscar nominee, can be added to this list as she
redefines Mary as a determined, educated young monarch, who, despite her
smarts, grows way too trusting and ends up being betrayed by those closest to
her. Margot Robbie, so impressive as Tonya Harding in “I, Tonya” (2017), is a
very formidable Elizabeth, who also finds herself undercut by those around her,
but withstood all the slings and arrows to run for 44 years. There is something
desperate about this Elizabeth, as she hides behind the white makeup and
ghastly red wig. And, as we all know, the queens never met, but Hollywood
insists on that tête-á-tête in every film.
Standing out
among the beards and impressive costumes, is Scottish stage and TV veteran
David Tennant playing the firebrand Protestant and misogynist John Knox, who
leads rebellions against Mary.
While the
political/religious gamesmanship often becomes too convoluted to follow, the
acting and the impressive production—cinematographer John Mathieson captures
the rugged beauty of the Scottish Highlands along with the dank, cave-like
atmosphere of Edinburgh Caste—make “Mary Queen of Scots” serious entertainment,
a thoughtful update that makes the 400-year-old story as relevant as the latest
headlines.
THE OLD MAN & THE GUN
(2018)
For anyone who
wonders why those of us who write about movies put so much emphasis on
directors, this 1970s throwback provides the answer.
What could be
better than an old-fashioned heist movie with 82-year-old Robert Redford as
Forrest Tucker, a career bank robber, and 68-year-old Sissy Spacek as the
spunky widow Jewel, who he romances, off and on, for years.
But director
David Lowery (“A Ghost Story”) manages to muck it up over and over. Most
damaging is the convoluted structure that shifts time frame without any warning
and stretching the believability of Redford; even Hollywood make-up masters
can’t take 20 years off an 82-year-old.
Another problem
that can be laid at the director’s feet are the low-key performances and static
direction that depletes whatever energy the story brings to the screen. Sure,
those of us who grew up on 1960s-70s films long for more introspective,
realistically paced storytelling, but this film moves at the pace of a man
using a walker. And it’s about robbing banks.
The biggest
miscue to me was the lack of interaction between Redford’s Tucker and his
robbery accomplices, played by a pair of charismatic seniors, Tom Waits and
Danny Glover. These two wonderful character actors are barely given time to
speak. Maybe the interplay ended up on the cutting room floor (or should I say
in the desktop recycle bin?), but I’m sure it would have enlivened the picture.
Even though the
film is about robberies, there is none of the preparations and anticipation
that makes these kind of films interesting; Tucker just walks into small, local
banks and says, “give me your money.”
There are some
memorable exchanges between the two stars as Tucker tries to keep his true
profession under wraps and Jewel does her best to scope out the truth about
this entertaining old dude. But it’s not enough to sustain a feature film or
save what should have been my favorite film of the year.
FILM STARS DON'T DIE IN
LIVERPOOL (2017)
Among all the 50
plus actresses struggling to secure the few good roles written for their age
group. 60-year-old Annette Bening seems to win most of them, especially if it involves
sexuality.
In "Being
Julia" (2004), "Running With Scissors" (2006), "The Kids
Are Alright" (2010), "20th Century Women" (2016), she's played
unsettled middle-aged women who never figured out (or wanted to) how to live a
traditional life.
Her latest,
released at the end of 2017 in hopes of securing an Oscar nomination, falls
into the same category. She plays the fascinating character actor Gloria
Grahame, best known for "The Big Heat" and winning the 1952 Oscar for
"The Bad and the Beautiful."
The film
chronicles her final weeks living in the Liverpool home of a much younger actor
she became involved with a few years earlier.
Peter Turner,
played by Jamie Bell (star of "Billy Elliot"), was in his late 20s
when the 55-year-old Grahame rented a room at the London boarding house where
he lived in the 1970s.
The film, with too
many confusing flashbacks to different stages of their relationship, never
rises above the cliché of a dying diva involved with a younger man. The script
just keeps trying to explain their relationship in scene after scene. That
should have been the starting point, not the only point.
Also sinking
this rather thin drama is Bell, who never convinced me that he had a real bond
with this difficult woman. Though the script is based on Turner's memoir of his
time with Grahame, he doesn't offer much insight into his character.
But I think they
picked the wrong story about Grahame. What would make a hell of a film is her
relationship with second husband Nicholas Ray, director of "Rebel Without
a Cause" and "In a Lonely Place." Rumor has it that he ended the
marriage when he caught her with his teenage son. Then, eight years later, the
son became her fourth husband. Now that's the classic Hollywood I want to see
on film.
The best scene in
the film is when Turner meets Grahame's mother (played by the always luminous
Vanessa Redgrave) and her sister, who breaks the news to Turner about Gloria's
previous May-Sept relationship.
But let's face
it, most contemporary filmgoers wouldn't know Gloria Grahame from Ida Lupino. The
character comes off as just another Hollywood, self-centered ditz without
enough substance for even Bening to do much with it.
