"Ma Rainey" and "The 40 Year Old Version"

"Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" is getting a lot of attention for featuring one of the final performances of Chadwick Boseman, one of his best.  The production is a star-studded prestige affair, adapting the celebrated August Wilson play about blues singer Ma Rainey (Viola Davis) coming to Chicago in 1927 to record a new album.  The recording session is an ordeal, thanks to Ma's endless demands and refusal to compromise, clashes with the band's trumpet player Levee (Boseman), and various technical and artistic issues that crop up.  Caught in the crossfire are Ma's agent Irvin (Jeremy Shamos), the recording studio ower Sturdyvant (Jonny Coyne), and the other members of the band, Toledo (Glynn Turman), Cutler (Colman Domingo), and Slow Drag (Michael Potts).

"Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" feels like a play, much in the same way that "Fences" did, with its limited locations and long monologues.  This is not a bad thing, as the production is lively and well-executed.  I appreciate the way that the performers are showcased, particularly Davis and Boseman.  The play itself is an absorbing examination of the way black performers are exploited by the white music industry, and the unfortunate repercussions.  Boseman's ambitious Levee emerges as the central character, a talented, troubled man who is charming one minute and dangerous the next.  Boseman's work here is a clear highlight, letting him play far more shades of gray than I've seen him play before.  Viola Davis as Ma Rainey is also stunner, less comic and more poignant in this version.  No matter how spoiled or exasperating her behavior, there's always a tangible undercurrent of fear and desperation.       

Moreover, I like how nimble the film is, directed by theater veteran George C. Wolfe.  It runs a trim 94 minutes, and is often enlivened with music, humor, and unpredictable changes in tone.  There clearly wasn't much of a budget, but the raw aesthetics help lend "Ma Rainey" a little more authenticity while undercutting any romantic notions of being a working musician during this era.  Ma herself, with her haphazard makeup and faded glamour, is hard to forget.  There are a few elements that don't translate well to film - a major third act confrontation doesn't quite land - but all in all I found the film highly watchable and very moving.

However, whether due to the subject matter or the artifice inherent in the construction of "Ma Rainey," I didn't connect to it the way I connected to Radha Blank's "The Forty Year-Old Version."  This is the semi-autobiographical tale of Radha, who plays a version of herself as a struggling New York playwright trying to do something significant before her fast-approaching fortieth birthday.  Once a rising star, she hasn't had any significant work produced in years, and is scraping by while teaching a high school theater class.  Her agent and best friend Archie (Peter Kim) connects her with a wealthy white producer named Whitman (Reed Birney), who only offers work that would require her to sell out.  She decides to try becoming a rapper, taking on the name RadhaMUSPrime and enlisting the help of a music producer, D (Oswin Benjamin).

I think I love this film, even if it's too long, I know nothing about rap music, and there were several moments of the kind of potent cringe I tend to avoid in films if I can.  However, Radha Blank is such an appealing onscreen presence.  And I love her willingness to keep trying and keep experimenting, even if it often just leads her to humiliation.  I love the way the story happily subverts the easy positivity of similar narratives about struggling artists.  There's a realism and an honesty to Radha's portrayal of her experience that is so refreshing to see - the homeless guy who hangs out in front of her apartment who refuses to be befriended, her passel of bright young students who can be alternately great cheerleaders or crushing critics, and of course Archie, her gay, yuppie, Korean agent who really is a slimeball, but one who is still her dear friend.  The plotting is a little contrived, especially the ending, but in the end Radha earns her big moments. 

The film is mostly in black and white, except for a few segments depicting Radha's work as a playwright, and occasional errant thought running through her mind.  I think it's a good choice here, because it helps keep the focus on the performances, which are great.  I didn't know a single one of the featured actors coming into this film, and now I want to see Blank, Kim, and Benjamin in everything.  I really hope that Radha Blank goes on to make more films, because I so enjoy her voice and her take on the theater community - her chronicle of the process of selling out is deeply funny and upsetting at the same time. 

Both films are available on Netflix.  Do watch and enjoy.       

---

"It Should Happen To You" Should Happen to You

Working my way through '50s cinema these past few months, there haven't been many films that I've really enjoyed for their pure entertainment value.  Then I watched my first Judy Holliday film in roughly a decade, and I was promptly swept off my feet.  Written by Garson Kanin and directed by George Cukor, "It Should Happen to You" is a sparkling screwball comedy featuring Holliday paired with Jack Lemmon in his screen debut.  

After a long string of Marilyn Monroe movies, it was so good to see Holliday again.  Like Monroe, her screen persona is that of the sweetly naive and silly blonde, but the difference is that Holliday is shrewd and street smart in spite of this.  Here, she plays Gladys Glover, an unemployed New York model who decides to spend her hard-earned money to rent a billboard and put her name in giant letters over Columbus Circle.  Her passion for fame puts her on a rapid ascent to celebrity, to the exasperation of her would-be boyfriend Pete Sheppard, played by Lemmon.  She's also being pursued by hot shot executive Evan Adams, played by Peter Lawford.  Gladys's choice isn't really between Pete and Evan, but between Pete and her dreams of fame.  

And it's so much fun to watch Holliday in the first act, stubbornly negotiating with the ad executives and the billboard company, refusing to be steamrollered or sweet-talked into giving up her billboard.  She refuses to justify herself to Pete, who views her whole scheme as ridiculous, and holds her own during their many arguments about the subject.  Of course, Pete wins her over in the end, but Gladys is no pushover.  She decides for herself, after witnessing the phoniness and hypocrisy of various ad campaigns, that the business isn't for her.  The argument scenes between Holliday and Lemmon are fantastic, with just the right amount of absurdity.  One sequence has Holliday running up and down a flight of stairs as she keeps trying to get in the last word. 

It's also great to see Jack Lemmon here, his screen presence already fully formed after years of work on television.  Pete is a documentarian, and has a lot of fun bits of business with his 16mm camera.  I can't help wishing that we could have seen more of the action from his point of view.  However, it's the vulnerability that comes through, despite his fast-talking and bluster, that really sells the romance.  There's a film-within-a-film segment that is one of the most charming things I've ever seen him do.  Poor Peter Lawford is awfully stiff by comparison, even when having drinks spilled on him.  I suppose that makes him perfect as the symbol of Gladys's disillusionment with fame and fortune.  

One thing I really appreciate about the romantic comedies from this era is that they're fairly light on sentimentality.  Nobody mopes.  The pace never flags.  The big romantic gestures made by both parties function as punchlines as much as emotional beats.  A modern take on the same story - and couldn't you just see this one being remade so easily with a vlogger and an influencer? - would emphasize the romance over the comedy.  "It Should Happen to You" tilts much more toward the comedic side, and doesn't waste a moment.  Like most comedies of its time, it runs a brisk 87 minutes and doesn't feel short at all.  

I liked "It Should Happen to You" so much that I went and found "Phffft," the Lemmon and Holliday romantic comedy that they made later in the same year, directed by Mark Robson.  It does not compare, but it did cement my opinion that Holliday and Lemmon are great together, and I wish we had more pictures with them paired.  Judy Holliday's list of credits is depressingly short on its own, but I have at least three more of her films I haven't seen.  I'll be saving them for a rainy day.   

---

"The Mandalorian," Year Two (With Spoilers)

As it says in the title, spoilers ahead.

I watched "Return of the Jedi" over and over when I was a kid, and I know the last hour of that film pretty much line for line.  So when Luke Skywalker showed up on the season finale of "The Mandalorian," I was as excited as anyone.  When he was finally fully revealed and started talking, the spell was immediately broken, as the show didn't have the budget or resources to deliver more than an obvious CGI deepfake who sounded all wrong.  However, for that first shot of the reveal, they had me.  It was just a few seconds, but they managed to bring "Return of the Jedi" Luke back in all his Jedi glory, and I loved it.  The lead-up was beautiful, with all those little visual and aural hints, and the big hallway action sequence that echoed Darth Vader's cameo at the end of "Rogue One."  I rewatched it multiple times, and then went and binged Youtube reaction videos for good measure.  

Of course, after the nostalgia hit had subsided, I realized that Luke's appearance was a massive deus ex machina and a distraction from everything else going on in "The Mandalorian."  Din and Grogu's goodby scene happened way too fast, considering that their relationship is the one big thing that has kept this show going since the beginning.  All the other characters are still on Moff Gideon's cruiser trying to figure out what to do with the darksaber.  My reaction to Luke was also markedly different from my reactions to the appearances of all the other legacy characters that appeared in the show this season - Bo Katan and Ahsoka Tano from the animated "Star Wars" series, and Boba Fett from the original trilogy.  While it was interesting to meet these characters, I didn't have much personal connection to them.  And frankly, though Rosario Dawson looks great in the costume, Ahsoka came off as overly solemn and stiff when actually interacting with people.  And I have no interest in watching a full series about her, no matter how many Kurosawa visuals Dave Filoni wants to heap on it.  

So, the limits of my own nostalgia have become perfectly clear this year.  Having not watched "Clone Wars" or "Rebels," when their characters showed up in "The Mandalorian," it did nothing for me.  And the more the showrunners lean into the nostalgia, the less effective it often is.  I wish they had spent more of their time on the original characters from "The Mandalorian."  I love Ming-Na as Fennec Shand and Gina Carano as Cara Dune.  Frog Lady was one of the highlights of the year.  Moff Gideon really needed more attention, as he just felt like a weak Vader stand-in.  The only one of these legacy characters I'd like to see more of is Bo Katan, because she's setting up more story for Mando, and she's got complicated allegiances.  I feel like there's more to learn about her.  None of that sort of groundwork was set up with Ahsoka or Boba Fett.

"The Mandalorian" has been mostly satisfying otherwise.  I'm sure the separation between Din and Grogu will be brief, as the creators know what a gold mine the little green guy is.  I liked that both of them got a little character progression - not a lot, but a little is fine when you're talking about an action show full of monsters and fight scenes.  I want to give the show all due credit for all the things it does right, like the beautifully tactile costumes, worldbuilding, and effects.  And the wonderfully diverse cast of characters.  And the way it uses the "Star Wars" visual language so beautifully while dropping in these homages to older media.  There is so much work and so much love that goes into this production, and it's still a marvel that "The Mandalorian" exists at all.  

And its future worries me.  I think this is a rich universe that absolutely can sustain more than one series at the same time.  However, I think Lucasfilm is pushing its luck with the number they currently have in development.  Out of all of these projects, the two I actually intend to watch right now are Obi-Wan Kenobi and Cassian Andor's shows, because of their lead actors.  If I watch "Boba Fett," it'll be for Ming-Na.  But nostalgia is what Disney's banking on, and nostalgia's what I've just about run out of.

---

"The Mandalorian," Year Two (No Spoilers)

"The Mandalorian" fully blew up into a national phenomenon this year, with big streaming numbers, tons of merchandise, and every episode awaited with happy anticipation by its fans.  This is the show that's saved "Star Wars," apparently, and I feel like such a grinch even trying to voice my concerns about it.  The second season was a lot of fun, ironing out a lot of the production kinks from the first season and delivering some truly impressive feats of spectacle.  On the other hand, the story is also moving in a direction I'm not too sure about.  This post will be a spoiler-free review, and I want to talk about the last episode with spoilers in the next one.

The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) and the Child are still traveling the galaxy, looking for other Mandalorians and people who might be able to help them get the little green foundling back where he belongs.  There are a lot of familiar faces and new characters to get acquainted with, though which category individuals fall in depends on how much you know about the rest of the "Star Wars" franchise.  A big development this year is that several characters from the "Clone Wars" and "Rebels" animated series, shepherded for years by Dave Filoni, are starting to cross over into the "Mandalorian."  While I'm not familiar with them, I thought these characters were mostly handled well, and brought some interesting new bits and pieces of "Stars Wars" lore with them.

What I was less happy about was learning that at least two of the major characters who show up this year are getting spun off into their own shows, and that "The Mandalorian" is doubling down in certain story elements that are pretty certain to put him in more contact with the older, more familiar parts of the "Star Wars" universe.  I've been enjoying "The Mandalorian" so much because it's been able to strike out into uncharted territory.  I like the show's steadily growing roster of original characters, like Cara Dune (Gina Carano) and Greef Karga (Carl Weathers).  There's an unnamed frog lady who features in two early episodes, played by Misty Rosas, who is a delight.  There are more puppets and models and large scale action sequences this year.  It feels like the whole production has gotten a major boost, allowing it to tackle really big, blockbuster film level action sequences.  The premiere features a fight on Tatooine against a Krayt dragon, a massive creature we'd only seen the skeleton of in the original "Star Wars."  The next episode is a survival story featuring hostile ice spiders.  It's fabulous stuff.    

"The Mandalorian" sticks to the format of the old television western, and we have episodes devoted to escort missions, fake lawmen, uneasy alliances, and rescue parties, among other things.  The regularity of having new guest stars every week takes away some of the awkwardness of several of these episodes pretty obviously being backdoor pilots.  There's no dip in quality or string or obvious filler episodes this year, and the momentum of the story is pretty strong.  I think the one major weakness of this season is that the main villain, Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito), who is awfully derivative and gets no actual character aside from being a standard evil imperial.  He does have a pack of new badass Dark Troopers, however, that come with their own dubstep techno theme music.  Composer Ludwig Göransson remains one of the show's MVPs.

Step back from the whiz-bang cool of the action and effects, and the series sometimes falls short when it comes to character and story.  There were enough instances of humor falling flat or exposition being rattled off by a bored-sounding actor from under layers of prosthetics that I took notice.  One of the most touching, emotional moments of the season is dreadfully undercut by the distracting use of effects that aren't quite up to par.  There are plenty of good moments and great creative choices that outweigh the bad, but "The Mandalorian" is far from consistent and could still use some improvements in key areas. 

  

And I'm worried that this won't be a priority.  The show has all the potential in the galaxy to be whatever it wants to be, but with its creators' attentions about to be split, and with so many other interests in play to keep the "Star Wars" franchise going, I worry that "The Mandalorian" has already peaked.  I'm sure the show will go on for many more seasons, and we'll get many more exciting adventures with the Mandalorian and friends, but their universe feels like it's about to get a whole lot smaller.  

---

PIXAR Brings the "Soul"

I've been a little resistant to the charms of PIXAR's "Soul," and I'm not sure why.  It's an absolutely lovely piece of cinema, featuring all the creative powers of the PIXAR artists at their best, and telling the kind of original story I'm always glad to see from them.  The hero is a middle-aged, African-American piano player and music teacher named Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx), who loves playing jazz but has struggled to launch his career as a professional musician.  Then one day, he suffers a terrible accident and finds himself a disembodied soul on an existential quest to return to his body, avoid "the Great Beyond," and help mentor a new soul dubbed 22 (Tina Fey). 

"Soul" is one of the most ambitious films PIXAR has made yet, all about the concepts of life and death, meaning and purpose.  There's nothing remotely toyetic in sight, but there are a lot of difficult ideas handled in interesting ways.   22, for instance, needs to discover her "spark" before she can go to Earth.  Joe assumes that a "spark" is a passion or purpose, like his love for music,  but of course it's much more complicated.  As a disembodied soul, Joe travels through planes of being like "the Zone," that is usually accessed by transcendental experiences, and the "Great Before," the home of new souls being prepared for life.  There are also the Jerrys and Terrys who look after the souls, Lost Souls who have become stuck in existential funks, and a gang of New-Agers who travel the Zone for fun. 

However, the film is at its best when Joe is living his unglamorous life in New York -  trying to inspire a roomful of students, getting a haircut, visiting his mother Libba (Phylicia Rashad), and landing his big break - a gig with saxophone player Dorthea Williams (Angela Bassett).  New York has never looked more beautiful in its full autumnal glory, and perhaps jazz has never been more lovingly brought to screen.  There's such care and such attention to detail in the way that the musicians are animated, the way that finger movements and body language are captured.  And no small amount of credit should go to Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, and John Batiste, for their contributions to the score.  

The metaphysical hijinks are a lot of fun, but they feel awfully reminiscent of director Pete Docter's last film, "Inside Out," but with less color and vibrancy.   There's a lot to like about the fantasy visions of places like the Great Beyond - essentially a giant "2001: a Space Odyssey" homage, or the Jerrys who are abstract line-art people, but at the same time it all feels reductionist and oversimplified in a way that prior PIXAR movies have usually managed to avoid.  It's strange to be drawing comparisons to other versions of the afterlife (and prelife) from movies like "Defending Your Life," "A Matter for Life and Death," and such, but the "Soul" version feels oddly lacking.  Joe's real living existence is so rich and beautiful and finely textured, that pairing it with such a cartoonish, simplistic conception of non-life doesn't quite seem to fit.    

These are minor complaints, of course.  I fully enjoyed the way the film played out, providing some new twists on old concepts, and exploring various ideas that only animation could do justice to.  The performances are a lot of fun, and I think the best compliment I can give them is that I had no idea who voiced Joe or 22 until the end credits.  I also appreciated that "Soul" is about an adult grappling with adult problems and crises, and resolves them in a mature way.   Much is left ambiguous, revelations are not spelled out, and Joe is left to make his big decisions by himself.  I honestly don't know how kids are going to react to this one, though I expect they'll enjoy the funny bits and the bright colors, which there are plenty of.  

"Soul" is wonderfully life-affirming, a marvel to look at, and a worthy addition to the PIXAR lineup.  I don't know if I buy its conception of how souls and the universe work, but its heart is definitely in the right place.  

---

Listening Closely For "Sound of Metal"

I want to be careful in my praise of "Sound of Metal," the directing debut of Darius Marder, because it deals with subject matter that has been at the center of debate and controversy in the deaf community.  The experiences of the protagonist, Ruben Stone (Riz Ahmed), are very specific and personal, and he doesn't take any particular stand one way or another, but his story does touch on some sensitive issues.

Ruben is a heavy metal drummer and recovering drug addict who is touring the U.S. with his bandmate and girlfriend Lou (Olivia Cooke), when his hearing begins to severely degrade.  After disorienting trips to doctors and specialists, the extent of Ruben's condition becomes clear - profound and irreversible hearing loss.  Ruben is convinced to join a program for deaf addicts run by a man named Joe (Paul Raci).  Still in deep denial about becoming deaf, Ruben wants to get cochlear implants and keep performing.  He feels abandoned by Lou, who is supportive, but has continued to tour without him.  However, spending more time with other deaf people proves valuable for Ruben, and he starts to shift his outlook.

There are two major components that elevate "Sound of Metal" - the excellent performance of Riz Ahmed as Ruben, and the way that the film uses sound.  The viewer is often put in Ruben's headspace by only hearing what he does in certain scenes.  We share in his confusion as he tries to communicate with others, and his frustration in suddenly being cut off from a big part of his world and coping mechanisms.  The strongest section of the film is the first third or so, when Ruben is still trying to function normally with his diminishing hearing, and struggling with the chaotic, frightening nature of his decline.  He tries to hide his condition from Lou, and it's only when she takes control of the situation that Ruben is able to get some help.

Riz Ahmed deserves all the kudos he's gotten for this role, playing Ruben as a man who is barely holding his life together, still battling his addiction demons, and not at all in a good mental place to tackle such a major life change.  One common criticism I've seen of the film is that it slows down too much in the second third, when Ruben joins Joe's treatment program and learns the fundamentals of navigating the world while deaf.  However, it's necessary not only for the story, but for the audience to get to know Ruben at his best and worst.  Ahmed puts Ruben's frailties on display, but also his talent and charm and capacity for doing good.  It raises the stakes so much more when we get a taste of the kind of person that Ruben could be at his best.  

I can't say much about the final third of the film where Ruben rejoins society, for fear of spoilers, except that I'm glad that it addresses the big, thorny issues in play related to cochlear implants and the deaf community, and gets Ruben to appreciate the position that Joe stands for, without going so far as to advocate for either side.  The movie ends in the right place, not when Ruben has made any kind of definitive choice, but when he seems to finally have an understanding about what his choices actually entail, and their consequences.  

"Sound of Metal" is not without its odd or contrived moments, and I felt that Ruben's relationship with Lou got seriously short shrift.  Still, the film is remarkably good at getting certain ideas across, and the sound design alone is worth the price of admission.  I wouldn't go as far as to say that watching this movie gives you a good idea of what it's like to experience profound hearing loss, but it's exceptional at putting you in the shoes of someone in that position, and getting you to empathize with him. 

---

Your 2021 Oscar Nominees

Well, we made it.  After an extended, and eventful Oscar season, the nominees are out, and it's a pretty strong batch this year, all things considered.  The race wouldn't have looked the same if this had been a normal year - I suspect that the smaller films like "Promising Young Woman" would have been edged out - but it's got a little something for everyone, spread the wealth around, and there are some interesting surprises too.

First, my watch list just got longer again.  I feel compelled to track down "The United States vs. Billie Holiday," for Andra Day's performance, "The White Tiger" for Ramin Bahrani's screenplay nod, and "News of the World" for four nominations in smaller categories.  However, my apologies to Glenn Close, but I don't think I can work up any interest in "Hillbilly Elegy."  There were a lot of latecomers to the race this year that didn't end up on my radar for one reason or another, but in the end the big titles were pretty constant throughout: "Trial of the Chicago 7," "Mank," "Nomadland," "Minari," and "The Father."  Of the many strong African American films this year, "Judas and the Black Messiah" is not the one I would have gone with as a front runner.  At least "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" and "One Night in Miami" got nods for performances, but the biggest snub this year was easily Delroy Lindo not appearing for "Da 5 Bloods."  The Best Score nod for "Da 5 Bloods" just looks bizarre.  I love Lakeith Stanfield, but there's clearly category fraud going on with his nomination for Best Supporting Actor.  Who was the lead in "Judas," if not him?  

Best surprise of the day is Thomas Vinterberg getting the Best Director nomination.  I wish Mads Mikkelson could have gotten a nomination, but the race was very tight this year.  And I'm delighted at the nominations for Steven Yeun, Riz Ahmed, Vanessa Kirby, Leslie Odom Jr., Paul Raci, Maria Bakalova, and Youn Yuh-jung, though I don't think any of them is going to win.  My predictions are - "Nomadland" and Chloe Zhao for Picture and Director, with the Acting trophies going to Chadwick Boseman, Frances McDormand, and Daniel Kaluuya, with Best Supporting Actress being a tossup.  You know, I wouldn't be mad if they gave it to Glenn Close at this point, this year has been so weird.  

"Borat" got more love than I was expecting, which is wild.  "Tenet" barely made a showing, with the same number of nominations as "Mulan" and the Matteo Garrone version of "Pinocchio."  "The Mauritanian" got totally shut out, which I'm a little sad about.  I've only seen three of the Best Documentary and two of the Best International Feature nominees, including "Collective," which is in both categories.  "Love and Monsters" got a Visual Effects nomination in a year with barely any blockbusters.  "Eurovision" got a song nomination.  Oh, and congratulations to Derek Cianfrance for his first Oscar nomination for co-writing "Sound of Metal."

It's a great year for representation, and I'm generally happy with how the nominations shook out. I have my usual frustrations over oddball categories like Documentary, which passed over a slew of strong contenders like "Dick Johnson is Dead" and "The Painter and the Thief," and Animated Feature, where the deeply mediocre "Over the Moon" won out over "The Croods: A New Age."  Still, some of the iffier possibilities like Chadwick Boseman getting a double nomination, and Jared Leto for "The Little Things" didn't pan out, and I think that's for the best. 

As always it's nice to have more to watch, and I have access to the vast majority of the nominees this year already through streaming options.  So, despite my reservations about the eligibility flimflammery and all the usual campaigning nonsense, I'm looking forward to Oscar night.  

---