The Iron Claw

Last night I saw The Iron Claw as part of a double feature at the Broadway and I loved this incredibly moving true story about the Von Erich family.  Fritz Von Erich (Holt McCallany) was once a major star as a professional wrestler but he was never able to win the NWA (National Wrestling Alliance) World Heavyweight Championship so, now that he is a father to Kevin (Zac Efron), David (Harris Dickinson), Kerry (Jeremy Allen White), and Mike (Stanley Simons), he exerts tremendous pressure on them to win the title for him as a wrestling promoter.  He compels them all to wrestle despite the fact that Kerry and Mike have other interests, he pits the brothers (who are fiercely loyal to each other) against one another for opportunities, promotion, and approval, he pushes them to the limit in their training, and he berates them mercilessly when they fail to live up to his expectations.  After a series of unimaginable tragedies befall the family, Kevin goes to extreme lengths, even jeopardizing his relationship with his wife Pam (Lily James) and his children, to win the championship for his father.  The story is incredibly compelling with powerful themes about toxic masculinity and the perils of unrealistic parental expectations.  It is unbelievably tragic but I really appreciated the message of hope portrayed in a beautiful scene between Kevin and his two young sons at the end that brought me to tears.  All of the performances are amazing but Efron is almost unrecognizable with his physical transformation for a role that is also emotionally demanding and he has never been better in my opinion (I wish he was getting more awards buzz).  I am not very familiar with professional wrestling but I found the sequences in the ring to be exhilarating, especially a montage to "Tom Sawyer" by Rush which is played in its entirety (apparently it was their signature song).  Finally, I really liked the production design, costumes, and hair because they evoke the time period so well.  This movie will make you cry but it is a must-see this holiday weekend.

Note:  After watching this movie I wanted to know more about the Von Erich family.  I was shocked to discover that their story is even more tragic than what was portrayed on the screen.

The Disappearance of Shere Hite

One of the things I especially love about the Sundance Film Festival is the opportunity to talk to people about all of the films being screened.  Last year many of those I spoke to mentioned The Disappearance of Shere Hite as one of their favorites so I was excited to see it yesterday afternoon at the Broadway.  I thought it was an interesting and compelling portrait of a fascinating woman who was denied her rightful legacy.  While Shere Hite was a graduate student at Columbia University in New York City during the early 1970s, she was inspired by participating in the burgeoning feminist movement to create and distribute a questionnaire about women and sexuality.  She used the results of her study to write a groundbreaking book that became a best-seller despite facing backlash from those who feared the implications of some of her conclusions.  This documentary features lots of archival footage of Hite's many appearances on news programs and talk shows defending her results and methodology and it becomes more and more uncomfortable to watch as she is viciously attacked (an ambush by Maury Povich is especially egregious).  She eventually flees to Europe and eventually dies in relative obscurity after being rejected by the publishers who initially profited from her books.  This documentary suggests that her treatment was scurrilous and that she deserves more recognition for her work.  It also suggests that the erasure of her work has led to the regression of attitudes towards women's sexuality.  I found Shere Hite to be an incredibly vibrant woman ahead of her time and I particularly enjoyed the voice-over narration by Dakota Johnson, which is taken from her writings, because it really brings her to life very vividly.  I enjoyed this thought-provoking documentary and would highly recommend it.

Fallen Leaves

I was very intrigued by the trailer for Fallen Leaves (it won the Jury Prize at Cannes this year) so I decided to see it at the Broadway yesterday afternoon.  It is a quirky story about how two lonely people overcome a series of obstacles to be together and I loved it!  Ansa (Alma Pöysti) lives alone in a tiny apartment in Helsinki and works a series of low-paying and monotonous jobs.  She notices Holappa (Jussi Vatanen), an alcoholic metalworker who is frequently fired for drinking on the job, at a karaoke bar (in a hilarious scene) and they have a series of random encounters as they struggle to survive in an urban hellscape.  They eventually get together for a date (they see the movie The Dead Don't Die and I laughed out loud when Adam Driver appeared on the screen because I certainly wasn't expecting that) and realize that they are attracted to each other (but don't know each other's name).  Complications ensue which keep them apart until they both decide to take a chance on each other.  Aside from the unexpected cameo by Adam Driver, I loved so many things about this movie!  The humor is incredibly subtle (I once again laughed out loud at a throwaway line about Luc Besson) and the performances are almost deadpan but hint at the sadness underneath.  There is very little dialogue but both Pöysti and Vantanen convey so much with just a glance (and a wink) and all of the needle drops (depressing lyrics with surprisingly upbeat music) are perfect.  The time period is strangely ambiguous because, even though there are references to the Russian attack of Ukraine during the endless newscasts our protagonists listen to, the production design is anachronistic (they listen to the news on the radio rather than the TV) and there is a retro color palette evoking a post-war Finland.  This is very effective at setting a tone of hopelessness despite the hopeful resolution.  I found this gem to be absolutely charming and I highly recommend it!

Maestro

The second movie in my double feature at the Broadway last night was Maestro.  I have been anticipating this for months but, while I did love many elements, I didn't enjoy it as a whole.  Leonard Bernstein (Bradley Cooper) is an up and coming conductor with the New York Philharmonic and a practicing homosexual when he meets the aspiring actress Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan) at a party.  They marry and have three children while Bernstein achieves tremendous fame and success and continues his relationships with men.  Felicia initially turns a blind eye but eventually his dalliances take a toll on the marriage as well as his relationship with his daughter Jamie (Maya Hawke).  However, Felicia reconciles with Bernstein after being moved by his legendary performance conducting Mahler's Resurrection Symphony at Ely Cathedral in England.  I really liked the theatricality and stylized direction of their courtship (with the black and white photography and many scenes taking place on stages as Felicia acts and Leonard conducts for an audience of one) but I was ultimately dissatisfied with the portrayal of the marriage (now in color) because it is very superficial and doesn't have much to say beyond the notion that loving a brilliant artist exacts a high price.  The audience is kept at a distance (literally) because so many scenes are staged to appear as if one is eavesdropping on private conversations with characters who appear and disappear very suddenly (it was hard for me to keep track of who was who including their children in some cases).  Many scenes are compelling but they are a series of vignettes rather than a cohesive story.  The music, consisting of selections from Bernstein's operettas and musicals as well as pieces by Mahler, Beethoven, and Schumann, is absolutely amazing and is definitely my favorite aspect of the movie.  The performances, especially Mulligan's, are outstanding but I didn't feel anything because there is no emotional connection to the characters.  This movie looks and sounds beautiful but it ultimately means nothing (it will probably win lots of awards).

The Boy and the Heron

Last night I decided to see a double feature at the Broadway.  I started with The Boy and the Heron, which is a beautiful coming of age story involving a fantastical journey, and I really loved it!  Twelve year old Mahito Maki (Soma Santoki) loses his mother in a fire during World War II and then moves from Tokyo to the countryside when his father Soichi (Takuya Kimura) gets remarried to Natsuko (Yoshino Kimura).  Mahito is still processing his grief and is not happy with the move or with his new mother when he encounters a gray heron (Masaki Suda) who pesters him until he follows him to a mysterious tower in ruins.  When Natsuko disappears, the heron lures Mahito into the tower promising him that they will find her and his mother.  Once inside, they encounter other worlds filled with magical characters and creatures (I loved the warawara) before finding Natsuko, a younger version of his mother (Aimyon), and the granduncle (Shohei Hino), a wizard who rules this world.  The granduncle offers Mahito the choice to stay and rule this world in his place or to return to his own world despite its malice and pain.  I really loved Mahito's journey of self-discovery in which he learns resilience in the face of grief and hardship and I loved the evolution of his relationship with both his mother and Natsuko.  The world of fantasy in this movie is really dense with meaning, mythology, and symbolism and I know that I missed a lot of the more subtle themes (I am a relatively new fan to Miyazaki and anime in general) but one of the metaphors that really stood out to me was the use of building blocks as a hope that the next generation will create a better world.  The animation is absolutely gorgeous and I love that the score by Joe Hisaichi seems to match the emotion in every scene.  I loved the experience of watching this with a really large crowd and I am looking forward to watching it again (I saw the subtitled version, which is my preference, but I also want to see the dubbed version because the English voice cast is intriguing).  I highly recommend this!

Eileen

I enjoyed the psychological thriller Eileen at Sundance this year so, now that it is in wide release, I decided to see it again with my nephew after he suggested it last night.  Eileen Dunlop (Thomasin McKenzie) is a lonely and repressed young woman working a thankless job as a secretary at a juvenile detention center in a small town in Massachusetts during the 1960s while caring for her alcoholic and abusive father Jim (Shea Whigham).  Her drab and dreary world is transformed when she meets and becomes infatuated with Dr. Rebecca Saint John (Anne Hathaway), the alluring new prison psychologist.  Rebecca draws Eileen into her orbit but the balance of power shifts between them when they take an interest in Lee Polk (Sam Nivola), an inmate convicted of stabbing his father to death.  This is an atmospheric and stylish slow-burn with a wild twist in the third act (it happens so suddenly that I was shocked the first time I saw it because I had no idea where the narrative was going and several people in the audience last night audibly gasped) but the abrupt ending left me wanting more.  Both Hathaway and McKenzie are outstanding and have great chemistry, especially as the intense connection between their characters is explored with lingering close-up shots of their faces, but Maren Ireland steals the show with a brief but devastating monologue.  I loved the score by Richard Reed Parry because it really adds to the tension and the cinematography brilliantly highlights the desolation all around.  I would ultimately recommend this because it is incredibly unnerving and compelling but I wish that it had gone a little further.

Dream Scenario

I was really intrigued by the trailer for Dream Scenario so I went back to the Broadway (my second home) last night to see it.  I found it to be hilarious and thought-provoking.  Paul Matthews (Nicolas Cage) is a mild-mannered evolutionary biology professor who inexplicably begins appearing as a benign presence in other people's dreams.  When a former girlfriend writes an article about the phenomenon that goes viral he becomes an overnight sensation.  He basks in all of the attention he receives from his daughters (Lily Bird and Jessica Clement) and his students and, even though his wife (Julianne Nicholson) warns that there will be negative consequences, he appears on television and tries to parlay his new-found fame into a book deal by signing with an agent (Michael Cera).  Suddenly his presence in everyone's dreams becomes malevolent which causes him to be feared and then vilified.  He loses his job and his family and finds it impossible to appear in public without being attacked.  Eventually, people stop dreaming about him but he tries to hold on to his notoriety by writing a trashy tell-all book and appearing at third-rate events.  This is an incredibly clever social satire about the fickle nature of fame and how someone or something can quickly catch the attention of the collective unconscious and then, just as quickly, disappear.  The commentary about the devastating effects of cancel culture is particularly fascinating and the scene where Matthews films a tear-filled apology, which seems to be de rigueur for any celebrity embroiled in a scandal, is quite amusing.  I also really enjoyed the scene where his prospective agent tries to get him to take a deal endorsing Sprite, because it perfectly embodies influencer culture, and all of the dream sequences, because they blur the line between the real and the surreal.  Cage, with a balding head, large glasses, graying beard, and over-sized parka, gives one of his best performances as an ordinary man caught up in a situation that he doesn't understand and can't control because his sputtering reactions to what is happening to him (both good and bad) are so funny.  There is a sub-plot in the third act about a device inspired by Matthews that allows people to visit other people's dreams that didn't really work for me but most of this had me laughing out loud.  I definitely recommend it.

Saltburn

The second movie in my double feature at the Broadway yesterday was Saltburn.  I was so excited to see this and it definitely did not disappoint!  Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) is a scholarship student at Oxford who struggles to fit in with his wealthier classmates.  He attracts the attention of the popular and aristocratic Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi) when he loans him his bicycle but gains his sympathy by describing his traumatic childhood with an alcoholic mother as well as the recent death of his father.  He is eventually invited to Saltburn, the vast estate owned by Felix's family, where he ingratiates himself to his parents Sir James (Richard E. Grant) and Lady Elspeth (Rosamund Pike) and his sister Venetia (Alison Oliver) but alienates his cousin Farleigh (Archie Madekwe) who is jealous of the attention lavished on him.  Oliver continues his machinations until the current guest, Poor Dear Pamela (Carey Mulligan), is sent packing and he enjoys a summer of excess and depravity until his obsession becomes malevolent.  This is both highly amusing (there were hoots of laughter in my screening) and provocative (there was also a lot of nervous giggling) and I loved it!  Keoghan is incredibly disturbing and you cannot look away as Oliver engages in one debauched act after another (there is an especially titillating scene involving a bathtub), Elordi is so charming and charismatic that it is easy to see why Felix would become the object of a powerful obsession, and Pike is an absolute hoot as the vacuous Elspeth.  However, Madekwe is absolutely brilliant because Farleigh is unlikable but yet strangely sympathetic as someone who is accepted but doesn't really belong and he nails this complexity with a highly nuanced performance.  I loved all of the elaborately composed shots, especially all of the reflections in ordinary objects because they show how much Oliver wants to belong to Saltburn, the opulent production design, and the killer (pun intended) soundtrack.  This features some interesting commentary on the class system but I appreciate the style with which it is presented a lot more!  There are some structural issues (I don't think the final recapitulation is necessary because the twist has been obvious all along) but this is wildly entertaining and I highly recommend it to fans of black comedies. 

Napoleon

Yesterday I went to the Broadway for a double feature (I was basically there all day) and I started with Napoleon which I really enjoyed.  This is a portrait of Napoleon Bonaparte (Joaquin Phoenix) chronicling his dramatic rise from an artillery officer during the waning days of the French Revolution to become the Emperor of France, his volatile relationship with an aristocratic widow named Josephine de Beauharnais (Vanessa Kirby), and his spectacular victories and stunning defeats in military campaigns across Europe.  The large-scale battle sequences are absolutely incredible and I was particularly impressed by the Siege of Toulon when Napoleon captures a fort in order to break the blockade of the city because it is so immersive, the Battle of Austerlitz when he bombards the Austrians and Russians as they retreat across a frozen lake because it is so visceral, and the Battle of Waterloo when his troops are decimated by the Duke of Wellington because the aerial shots of the British infantry squares (I've always been obsessed with this military tactic) are so dramatic.  These set pieces are are thrilling (Ridley Scott knows how to stage a spectacle) and they definitely compensate for the long runtime and pacing issues.  Phoenix is magnetic in the role and, while many have criticized his characterization of Napoleon and a brooding and petulant despot (in some surprisingly hilarious scenes), I think it really works because he is more noted for being a brilliant military tactician than a good ruler.  Kirby is outstanding, although I would have liked more of her character, and I also enjoyed seeing Rupert Everett as the sneering Duke of Wellington and Paul Rhys as the scheming Talleyrand.  I am a huge fan of historical dramas so I obviously loved the period costumes, numerous locations, lavish production design, and atmospheric score.  There are flaws but I would recommend this to fans of epic period pieces.

May December

Last night my nephew and I went to the Broadway to see May December and we both found it to be incredibly thought-provoking.  Elizabeth Berry (Natalie Portman) is a television actor who inserts herself into the lives of Gracie Atherton-Yoo (Julianne Moore) and her husband Joe Yoo (Charles Melton) because she will be portraying Gracie in an upcoming independent movie about their scandalous romance.  Gracie had an extramarital affair with Joe, who was then in seventh grade, was arrested, gave birth to their first child in prison, and then married him when she was released.  Twenty years later, as their twins are about to graduate from high school, they seem like the perfect suburban family but, as Elizabeth starts delving into the past, the facade comes crumbling down.  This is really campy, with one of the funniest line readings I've ever heard and an incredibly melodramatic score, but then it becomes absolutely devastating.  All three actors give amazing performances because their characters are so complex and reveal themselves little by little.  Gracie seems confident and happy around Elizabeth and her neighbors and broken and fragile behind closed doors with her family but then we see how passive-aggressive she is with her daughters and how manipulative she is with Joe.  Moore uses changes in her facial expressions and voice, slipping into and out of a breathy lisp, to show her character's intent and it is masterful.  Elizabeth seems like an ambitious method actor trying to understand the character she will be portraying so that she can do justice to the story but then she starts to blur the lines between reality and art to actually become Gracie and her behavior is just as predatory.  Portman's performance is brilliant because she eventually mimics all of Gracie's mannerisms and the transformation is so subtle that you don't realize how unsympathetic she has become.  Joe protests that he is not a victim and that he has been happily married to Gracie for twenty years but he is constantly bullied and belittled by her.  Melton's role is less showy but no less powerful, especially when Joe realizes the full impact of what has been done to him (by both women).  There is so much to unpack with all of these characters and it is fascinating!  I loved the use of mirrors because we eventually see who these characters really are when reflected by others and the focus on Joe's hobby of raising monarch butterflies is the perfect metaphor for the transformation these characters go through.  The more I think about this movie, the more I like it and I would definitely recommend it.

Priscilla

I was so excited to be back at the Broadway last night to see Priscilla because I am a huge fan of Sofia Coppola and I have been anticipating it ever since Cailee Spaeny won the Volpi Cup at the Venice FIlm Festival for her performance.  It is a fascinating if melancholy coming of age story that initially left me a bit disappointed but, the more I think about it, the more I appreciate it.  Priscilla Beaulieu (Spaeny) is a shy and lonely teenager living in West Germany, where her father is stationed, when she is invited to a party and meets Elvis Presley (Jacob Elordi), who is doing his military service.  She comforts him over the recent death of his mother and they bond over their shared homesickness for the U.S.  Despite the objections of her worried parents, she is soon spending all of her free time with him and grows despondent when he is discharged from the Army.  She eventually visits and then moves into Graceland where she is completely controlled, manipulated, isolated, and ignored by Elvis.  She becomes a wife and mother before she finally finds the courage to create a life for herself.  This reminded me, beat for beat, of Marie Antoinette and that is both a good thing and a bad thing.  The compelling story is similar in that a young and naive girl is thrust into a situation for which she is completely unprepared, is forced to mold herself into someone else's ideal, and is not allowed to have a voice while living in a rarefied environment of luxury.  The gorgeous production design is also similar in that it brilliantly immerses the audience into a different time and place while including anachronistic music to create a vibe (my favorite is the use of "Crimson and Clover").  Unfortunately, it also feels like an insubstantial bit of spectacle because the protagonist still feels like a mystery when all is said and done and this left me wanting to know more about who she really was.  However, upon reflection I think that is actually the point because Priscilla didn't really have an identity while she was with Elvis.  Spaeny gives an incredible performance, literally transforming from a child to a young woman right before our eyes.  She is able to communicate so many emotions with just a glance or one word of dialogue and it always appears that she has so much more to say.  Elordi is unbelievably appealing and charismatic as Elvis and it is easy to see how Priscilla could fall under his spell but he also vividly portrays a darker side to the king of rock and roll so it is understandable why she would leave.  I'm still thinking about this one but I would definitely recommend it.

The Holdovers

Yesterday I was able to see an early screening of The Holdovers at the Broadway and I absolutely loved it!  It is definitely one of my favorites this year!  An unpopular and curmudgeonly teacher at a prestigious New England prep school named Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti) is forced to remain at school over the Christmas break to supervise the students who are not able to go home, or the "holdovers," as punishment for failing the son of a prominent donor.  Several students and staff remain behind but, eventually, they all find somewhere to go except a depressed and acerbic 15-year-old named Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa) and the head cook, Mary Lamb (Da'Vine Joy Randolph), who is mourning the recent death of her son in Vietnam.  At first the three of them, who are each struggling with their own inner demons, clash with each other but, after a series of misadventures, they form an unlikely bond.  Angus helps Paul make peace with his past and Paul helps Angus see a future for himself while the two of them help Mary get through her first Christmas without her son.  I've heard many critics say that this is the type of movie they don't make any more and I definitely echo that opinion.  It is set in the early 1970s and it looks like it could have been made then with a grainy film aesthetic and amazing production design (I loved the retro studio logo at the beginning) but, more than that, it is a character-driven drama about flawed people that used to be much more prevalent in that decade.  I loved all three of the main characters, especially Mary because she took the job serving ungrateful and entitled students so that her son could get a good education only for him to end up going to Vietnam but then she sees beyond the privilege when she gets to know one of the students.  I wish that her character had been explored more fully but I really appreciate the care with which the mentor-student relationship is portrayed (particularly a scene where Paul explains why it is important to study history).  It is very heartwarming and affecting but there are lots of little moments that are quite funny (I laughed out loud multiple times).  Giamatti is brilliant as always and Randolph steals every scene she is in but I was very impressed with newcomer Sessa because he has a very striking screen presence and more than holds his own with the two more experienced actors.  This is a movie that I can see myself watching over and over again and I highly recommend it.

Anatomy of a Fall

My nephew has made a lot of new friends in college but, apparently, he has missed going to movies with me (which I think is really sweet) so I arranged for us to see Anatomy of a Fall at the Broadway last night.  This was one of my most anticipated movies from the fall festivals (it won the Palme d'Or at Cannes) and both Sean and I found it to be incredibly thought-provoking.  When Samuel Maleski (Samuel Theis) falls to his death from the attic window of his isolated chalet in the mountains of France, an autopsy is unable to determine is it was an accident or murder.  His German wife Sandra Voyter (Sandra Hüller) becomes the prime suspect because she was the only one home at the time.  She is eventually put on trial when an audio recording of an argument between her and her husband surfaces.  Her lawyer (Swann Arlaud) introduces evidence suggesting a suicide, even though she is very uncomfortable with this defense, but the aggressive public prosecutor (Antoine Reinartz) builds a case, based on a subjective interpretation of the audio recording, showing that the marriage was troubled and that their fights often escalated to violence.  Their young son Daniel (Milo Machado-Graner), who is visually impaired and was out for a walk when his father fell to his death, struggles to make sense of the evidence he hears in court but he must ultimately decide who to believe before he testifies.  This is an incredibly tense courtroom drama made even more so by including a language barrier (Sandra is German and, therefore, not fluent in French so she often lapses into English when testifying) because this creates even more opportunities to misconstrue her meaning.  It is a cautionary tale about the ways in which private moments between two people can appear very differently to others when they become public and I was absolutely riveted!  In fact, Sean and I both came to different conclusions about Sandra's culpability (in my opinion her guilt or innocence almost doesn't matter) and I am still thinking about it!  Hüller gives a brilliant and highly nuanced performance (the Oscar buzz surrounding her is entirely warranted) but Machado-Graner is absolutely amazing because the camera is often on him during the courtroom scenes and his reactions inform the audience how to feel about the various revelations.  Finally, this movie features one of the best uses of a song (an instrumental version of "P.I.M.P" by 50 Cent no less) that I have ever seen because it has multiple meanings and becomes more and more important as the narrative progresses.  Believe the hype about this one!

Nyad

I went to see Nyad at the Broadway last night and I really liked it (I am a sucker for inspirational sports movies).  On her 60th birthday, former long distance open water swimmer Diana Nyad (Annette Bening) feels that she is standing on the sidelines of life as a sports commentator and decides that she wants to revisit the dream of swimming from Havana, Cuba to Key West, Florida that she abandoned after one ill-fated attempt at age 28.  She enlists her best friend Bonnie Stoll (Jodie Foster) to be her coach, assembles a team, including a navigator named John Bartlett (Rhys Ifans), and begins training for a swim that is so dangerous many believe it cannot be done.  She faces challenges from Gulf Stream currents, storms, hypothermia, dehydration, sharks, and jellyfish as well as her own inner demons (shown as flashbacks to the father who pushed her to succeed and to the coach who abused her) and push back from her team for taking them for granted but, after four failed attempts, she perseveres and makes it to Key West on September 2, 2013 after swimming 110 miles in 53 hours.  This is the first narrative feature from award-winning documentarians Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin (I really loved Meru) and I think this compelling true story about triumphing in the face of overwhelming odds in an extreme sport is a perfect fit for them.  Even though I knew the outcome I was on the edge of my seat from the suspense created by their use of immersive cinematography showing all of the dangers in the water and the integration of actual footage from the swim and the news coverage of it is very well done.  I really loved the message that it is never too late to pursue a dream and the portrayal of a strong female friendship is very refreshing to see.  I also enjoyed the tremendous (and vanity-free) performance from Bening as the sometimes unsympathetic Nyad and the incredibly moving one from Foster as her biggest supporter.  The score by Alexandre Desplat is outstanding but I particularly enjoyed all of the music that Nyad uses to keep a rhythm to her strokes, especially "The Sound of Silence" by Simon & Garfunkel and "Heart of Gold" by Neil Young.  This is a stand up and cheer movie about an incredible feat of epic determination and I highly recommend it.

Killers of the Flower Moon

Last night I had the chance to see an early screening of Killers of the Flower Moon in a packed theater at the Broadway.  It is a masterpiece and I know I will be thinking about it for a long time to come because it is so intense and unsettling.  The Osage Nation becomes unbelievably wealthy when oil is discovered on their land in Oklahoma in the 1920s but it also brings trouble as the white men in the nearby towns lie, cheat, manipulate, steal, and eventually, murder, to gain control of the money.  One such man is William King Hale (Robert De Niro), a wealthy cattle rancher who has evil intentions but presents himself in the guise of a benefactor to the Osage.  When his nephew Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio) returns home from the Great War and begins working for him, Hale suggests that he woo and marry an Osage woman named Mollie Kyle (Lily Gladstone) in order to gain control of her headshares from the oil profits.  After the wedding, Hale and Burkhart begin plotting to kill members of Mollie's family one by one so that their headshares will be transferred to Mollie but these murders eventually get the attention of Tom White (Jesse Plemons), an agent of the new Bureau of Investigation.  Much has been made of the long runtime (three and a half hours) but I feel like it is earned because it is an incredibly compelling story that is equal parts epic Western, lurid crime drama, tragic love story, and scathing commentary on greed and corruption and my attention never wavered.  Frequent Scorsese collaborators De Niro and DiCaprio are outstanding (some of the best work of their careers) but Gladstone is absolutely captivating in a restrained performance in which she portrays every emotion imaginable (sometimes with just a glance).  One specific scene near the end of the movie where Gladstone's character silently accuses DiCaprio's character with just her eyes is devastating and left me reeling.  The supporting cast is also great and I was particularly impressed by Tantoo Cardinal, Cara Jade Myers, JaNae Collins, and Tatanka Means who all make the most of limited screen time.  All of the technical elements, from cinematography to production design to editing, are brilliant and I also really loved the score by Robbie Robertson because it really adds to the tension.  This is one of Scorsese's best movies and, while it won't be for everyone because of the dark themes and melancholy tone, I highly recommend it.

The Royal Hotel

Last night I went to the Broadway to see The Royal Hotel because I found the trailer very intriguing.  It is a compelling examination of toxic masculinity and the unequal power dynamic between the sexes that had me squirming the whole time.  Hanna (Julia Garner) and Liv (Jessica Henwick) are two young "Canadian" women backpacking through Australia and, when they run out of money, they seek employment through a work-travel program and end up at a pub called the Royal Hotel in a remote mining town in the Outback.  The men who frequent the pub are often belligerent, offensive, and sexually inappropriate but the owner, a curmudgeonly drunk named Billy (an unrecognizable Hugo Weaving), expects the girls to put up with it to keep the customers happy.  Hanna finds one of them, a miner named Dolly (Daniel Henshall), to be especially menacing and wants to leave immediately but Liv thinks it is all harmless fun and befriends two of the patrons, Matty (Toby Wallace) and Teeth (James Frecheville).  However, Hanna becomes more and more disturbed by the situation because Billy refuses to pay them, there is no cell service, and the only way to leave is a bus that comes once a week.  When events spiral out of control, she must take matters into her own hands.  The tension builds and builds until it is almost unbearable (I was so stressed out watching this) and what makes the situation so terrifying is that it is not necessarily the sociopaths that they should fear but the ones who seem to be "nice guys."  I was really struck by the shot composition and the lighting design because they effectively emphasize both the claustrophobia of the pub and the isolation of the area that surrounds it.  One scene in particular, where Hanna sees a shadow underneath her bedroom door, perfectly captures her terror. Both actresses give riveting performances but I was especially impressed with Garner because everything is viewed from her perspective and her escalating dread is palpable.  Even though the dramatic climax is a bit rushed and not really earned after the subtle build-up that precedes it, I would definitely recommend this.

It Lives Inside

I always enjoy seeing scary movies in October, and since we are getting close to my favorite month, I decided to see It Lives Inside at the Broadway last night.  I found it to be an interesting take on a traditional monster movie.  High school student Samidha (Megan Suri), who prefers to be called Sam, has seemingly turned her back on her Indian culture and her former best friend Tamira (Mohana Krishnan) in favor of fitting in with the more popular Caucasian kids and she is at odds with her very traditional mother Poorna (Neeru Bajwa).  When a disheveled Tamira approaches her for help, Sam smashes the strange mason jar she is carrying which releases the monster living inside it.  Tamira mysteriously disappears and an invisible demonic presence begins stalking Sam and harming those she loves.  She eventually discovers that the demon is a Pishach and that she must embrace her heritage in order to defeat it.  I really liked the use of Hindu mythology and the use of a monster as a metaphor for losing yourself in order to assimilate because this makes what could be seen as a derivative story (it reminds me so much of The Boogeyman) more compelling.  There are some great tension-filled sequences, such as a shadowy figure hiding in the closet and an amorphous shape stalking Sam's teacher (Betty Gabriel) down a hallway, that are frightening more for what we don't see than for what we do.  However, this makes the final confrontation, when we finally do see the monster, a little bit underwhelming because it is not as scary.  None of the characters are well developed (I especially wanted to know more about Tamira) but Krishnan and Suri both give performances that sell the terror they feel very effectively.  Despite a few flaws It Lives Inside is an intriguing way to begin the spooky season and I recommend it.

Scrapper

Yesterday I went back to the Broadway (my second home) to see Scrapper and it is so charming.  Georgie (Lola Campbell) is a twelve year old girl living alone on a council estate in a working class suburb of London after the recent death of her mother.  She evades social services by pretending that an imaginary uncle, named Winston Churchill, is looking after her and she steals bicycles, with her accomplice and best friend Ali (Alin Uzun), and sells them for parts to earn money.  When her estranged father Jason (Harris Dickinson) suddenly appears, she is less than pleased to see him and resists his attempts to get to know her.  However, as they spend more and more time together, they realize that they just might need each other after all.  I have seen a lot of comparisons to Aftersun but, aside from having a fragile relationship between a father and daughter in common, this movie has a more lighthearted tone.  I loved the inclusion of magical realism when we see into Georgie's imagination as she tries to process her grief, especially a scrap metal tower she is building in her mother's bedroom, and having all of the neighbors (who each have their own color) break the fourth wall to give their opinions about her situation like a Greek chorus is hilarious.  Speaking of color, the production design is so vibrant and fun and, when combined with the quirky hand-held camera work, it contributes to a playful vibe.  Dickinson gives a really nuanced performance as a bit of a cad, little more than an adolescent himself, who has been able to avoid all responsibility but suddenly realizes that he wants to be responsible for his daughter.  Campbell, in her debut, absolutely shines and I really enjoyed the back and forth between Georgie and Jason.  I was enchanted by this and highly recommend it.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

Yesterday afternoon I went to see Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe at the Broadway and I loved this subdued but incredibly sweet coming of age story.  Aristotle "Ari" Mendoza (Max Pelayo) is a lonely teen living in El Paso who feels alienated from his peers at school because he feels so different and from his parents (Eugenio Derbez and Veronica Falcon) because they are incredibly closed off and full of secrets.  Dante Quintana (Reese Gonzales) offers to teach Ari how to swim when they meet at the local pool and they bond over their unusual names.  Soon they become inseparable as Dante continues to teach Ari about art, literature, and star gazing.  When Dante movies to Chicago with his family (Kevin Alejandro and Eva Longoria) for a year, Ari misses him and struggles with his own identity.  Their friendship is tested when Dante comes out to Ari in a letter and then declares his love for him when he returns to El Paso.  The themes about identity, masculinity, friendship, sexuality, and love are powerful but they are explored in a gentle and languid way with many beautiful shots in the desert during the golden hour.  The narrative takes place during the 1980s (it features a fantastic soundtrack) and I can't imagine what this movie would have meant to countless teens struggling with their identity and sexuality during this era and I especially love that both sets of parents are supportive of Ari and Dante's relationship without ignoring the challenges they might face.  Gonzales gives a moving performance filled with vulnerability and charm and Pelayo is very handsome and appealing but I sometimes found his performance to be a bit too restrained (I haven't read the book by Benjamin Alire Saenz upon which the movie is based so I'm not sure if his characterization is intentional) because I wanted more emotion during an important turning point.  Their chemistry, however, is palpable and there is a tension about the outcome of their relationship that makes the story compelling.  I highly recommend this tender love story, especially for teens.

Note:  Every year I make a goal to see 100 new releases in the theater and I reached it with this movie (it is the earliest I have ever done so).

Bottoms

Last night I saw Bottoms with a large and enthusiastic crowd at the Broadway and it is the funniest movie I've seen this year!  PJ (Rachel Sennott) and Josie (Ayo Edibiri) are best friends since childhood who are tired of their status as the losers of their school (not because they are lesbians but because they are untalented and ugly lesbians).  At the beginning of their senior year PJ decides that they need to be proactive in their goal to have sex with their crushes Isabel (Havana Rose Liu) and Brittany (Kaia Gerber) despite the fact that they are popular cheerleaders and Isabel is dating the quarterback Jeff (Nicholas Galitzine).  When their friend Hazel (Ruby Cruz) inadvertently starts a rumor that PJ and Josie spent the summer in juvenile detention and had to fight the inmates every day, they see the effect it has on their classmates, especially the cheerleaders, who often fear for their safety and they decide to start a self defense club.  They enlist their inept history teacher Mr. G (Marshawn Lynch) to be the faculty advisor and soon the so-called fight club becomes a source of female empowerment to the members but it also gets the much sought after attention of Isabel and Brittany.  Complications ensue when their real motivation for starting the club is revealed but they must all come together to save the football team from their biggest rival.  I loved the representation in this movie and that it features lots of social commentary but I also loved that it is a hilarious satire of the high school sex comedy genre! I laughed out loud at the clever script from beginning to end (there are so many jokes and I already want to see it again because I'm sure I missed some) and I was definitely not alone!  The portrayal of the football team, who are never out of uniform, is especially over the top because the entire school is invested in the forty year rivalry with another school's football team to the exclusion of everything else. Galitzine is so funny (the scene of him dancing to "Total Eclipse of the Heart" had me in hysterics) and Lynch steals every scene he is in (a joke about being an ally is another laugh out loud moment) but Sennott and Edibiri are wonderful together with a very natural chemistry that is so much fun to watch.  I absolutely loved this and I highly recommend watching it with the biggest crowd you can find with the proviso that it is violent with lots of crude humor.

Note:  Be sure to stay through the credits because there are deleted scenes and bloopers that are just as funny as the movie!