One Night in Miami

Last night I had the chance to see One Night in Miami and I think it is absolutely brilliant!  It is a fictionalized version of a meeting that happened between boxer Cassius Clay (Eli Goree), singer Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom, Jr.), football legend Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge), and activist Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir) in a hotel room in Miami Beach after Clay becomes the World Heavyweight Champion by defeating Sonny Liston (Aaron D. Alexander) in 1964.  Their conversations are highly charged as they discuss the responsibility they have as successful Black men to further the civil rights movement.  The story is incredibly thought-provoking and I had tears in my eyes in the final scene because it is so powerful and, more importantly, because change is still needed even after all of these years.  The structure of the narrative is extremely effective because we are introduced to the four characters, and the struggles they face despite their fame and wealth, individually in a prologue before their meeting and then we see the effect of that meeting on their later lives in an epilogue afterwards. Regina King's direction is surprisingly dynamic considering the fact that the majority of the action takes place in the confined space of a hotel room.  My attention never wavered.  The four lead actors give absolutely phenomenal performances but I was especially impressed with Hodge, who has an imposing presence but is heartbreaking in a scene where a family friend (Beau Bridges) showers Brown with praise for his athletic prowess but won't let him inside the house, and Odom, who is defiant when Cooke is accused of selling out and then vulnerable when he laments that fact that he should have been the one to write "Blowin' in the Wind."  I loved hearing Odom sing Cooke's songs because it is impressive how well he captures his voice, particularly in an incredibly emotional version of "A Change is Gonna Come" (which is what prompted my tears at the end of the movie), and I also really enjoyed his original song "Speak Now" which plays during the credits.  This is an important and timely movie and I highly recommend it (with the proviso that there is a lot of profanity).  It is in theaters now for a limited engagement and then it will stream on Prime Video beginning January 15.

Shadow in the Cloud

Everything I heard about Shadow in the Cloud made it seem absolutely bonkers so, of course, I wanted to see it!  I had the chance last night and it was so much fun!  During World War II, Flight Officer Maude Garrett (Chloe Grace Moretz) is on a secret mission with a mysterious package that she must guard at all costs.  She catches a ride on an Allied B-17 bomber flying from New Zealand to Samoa and the male crew (Taylor John Smith, Beulah Koale, Nick Robinson, Callan Mulvey, Benedict Wall, Joe Witkowski, and Byron Coll) take great exception to having a woman on board.  They force her into the gun turret during takeoff where she hears their misogynistic comments about her over the radio.  She confronts them but they soon question both her identity and her mission.  They completely disregard her when she tells them that she sees a shadow on the wing but they are, in fact, being attacked by both Japanese bombers and winged mythological creatures which she must then fight in order to save them.  At first I thought the inclusion of the creatures was crazy, even though I was willing to suspend my disbelief in order to enjoy the movie, but I did a little bit of research and it actually does make sense within the context of World War II and they serve as a metaphor for Maude.  What I really liked about this movie is that the men are so dismissive of Maude (with some of the most cringe-worthy dialogue imaginable) but she is the one who shoots down two zeros, fights several creatures, and crash lands the plane (in some thrilling, if unrealistic, action sequences).  She proves that she is just as capable of fighting as the men (the end credits include photos of real female pilots during World War II) which is all the more powerful when the crew learns the contents of her mysterious package.  Moretz, who is hit or miss with me, is fully committed to the physicality of the role and gives a campy performance that is a lot of fun to watch.  It is as bonkers as I predicted but, if you can just go along with everything that is happening on screen, you will have a blast with this movie!  I recommend seeing it on a Friday night (the later the better) with a big tub of popcorn!

Note:  This reminded me of Overlord because they both combine World War II intrigue with elements of horror and I liked them both more than I thought I would!

Pieces of a Woman

I was interested in seeing Pieces of a Woman because Vanessa Kirby won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival last year.  I had the chance to see it last night and I was absolutely blown away by her performance.  Martha Weiss (Kirby) and Sean Carson (Shia LaBeouf) are an unlikely couple who are expecting a baby and hope to have a home birth.  When Martha goes into labor, they learn that their preferred midwife is unavailable and a replacement named Eva (Molly Parker) is sent instead.  Tragedy strikes when the baby's heartbeat slows down during the labor and, even though Eva does everything she can and eventually has them call for an ambulance, the baby dies shortly after it is born.  Martha must deal with her overwhelming grief, the disintegration of her relationship with Sean, and the pressure from her overbearing mother (Ellen Burstyn) to prosecute the midwife.  As I mentioned, Kirby gives an incredibly powerful and poignant performance.  The scene in which Martha goes into labor and gives birth happens in one long and sustained shot and it is absolutely brilliant because it is so immersive.  Martha's emotional confrontation with Eva in court is also an incredibly intense moment but I found the scene where she returns to work after her maternity leave, in another long tracking shot, to be so heartbreaking because none of her colleagues know what to say to her which adds to her isolation.  Burstyn and LaBeouf also give outstanding performances but it was sometimes difficult to watch the scenes where Sean becomes abusive towards Martha in light of the recent allegations against LaBeouf.  I loved the recurring motifs of building of a bridge and the germination of an apple seed because they represent the ways in which Sean and Martha are able to heal.  This movie is devastating to watch and, while it is not quite as good as Ordinary People or Manchester by the Sea (which, in my opinion, are two of the best movies about death and its aftermath) because it founders a bit with the addition of some unwieldy subplots, it is a very authentic portrayal of grief and I highly recommend it for the performances.  It is in theaters for a limited engagement and then begins streaming on Netflix January 7 (today).

Herself

When I was choosing my tickets for Sundance last year, I had Herself on my list but I ultimately ended up getting tickets for other films.  I hoped that it would get a wide release at some point so I was really excited to be able to see it last night in advance of it streaming on Prime Video next week.  Sandra (Clare Dunne) flees her abusive husband Gary (Ian Lloyd Anderson) and takes her young daughters Molly (Molly McCann) and Emma (Ruby Rose O'Hara) with her.  She ends up living in a hotel and working two menial jobs while dealing with the never ending bureaucracy to find public housing.  Exasperated with the delays, she decides to take matters into her own hands and build a house herself.  She finds plans for a basic house online, acquires a piece of land from her employer (Harriet Walter), convinces a contractor (Conleth Hill) that she randomly meets at a home improvement store to work for free on weekends, and slowly finds a community of friends and strangers willing to help her.  As she builds this house, she also begins to rebuild her life despite the many overwhelming obstacles that she has to overcome in the process.  This is an incredibly poignant and inspirational story about empowerment and resiliency that I really enjoyed, especially the emphasis on the goodness of ordinary people which I found to be quite moving.  Dunne, who also co-wrote the screenplay, gives an affecting and believable performance that makes you want to cry and then stand up and cheer.  Even though this movie explores some really dark themes of spousal abuse, economic instability, and homelessness, it has a hopeful tone (even after the twist in the third act). The only complaint I have about this movie is that I sometimes couldn't understand the thick Irish accents but I would definitely recommend it (with the proviso that it includes some violence and language).  It is in theaters for a limited engagement and then will stream on Prime Video beginning on January 8.

Pinocchio

Last night I saw a new live-action adaptation of the classic fairy tale Pinocchio as my first movie of 2021 (and the last of the big Christmas releases).  It is much darker and stranger than the Disney animated version that we all grew up with but it is also incredibly enchanting and I really enjoyed it.  A poor Italian carpenter named Geppetto (Roberto Benigni) sees a traveling puppet show come through town and decides to make his own puppet to rival those in the troupe.  He carves the puppet Pinocchio (Federico Ielapi) out of a magical piece of wood which causes it to come to life.  Geppetto comes to regard the puppet as his son but Pinocchio longs for adventure and is easily led astray despite many warnings from the Talking Cricket (Davide Marotta).  He runs away and has a series of misadventures with beguiling characters and fantastical creatures which often require him to be rescued by the Blue Fairy (Marine Facth).  Pinocchio eventually encounters Geppetto, who has been looking for him, and begins working for a shepherd so that he can care for Geppetto when he becomes ill.  The Blue Fairy sees that Pinocchio has become worthy by his selflessness and grants his wish to be a real boy.  This is an Italian production filmed in Italy, where the story actually takes place, with Italian actors (it is dubbed in English but the voices are recognizably Italian) so it feels very authentic.  The landscape and all of the visuals are incredibly beautiful even if some of the creatures encountered by Pinocchio are bizarre (especially the Snail, who leaves a trail of slime behind wherever she goes, and the Tuna, who struggles to breathe rather dramatically).  Benigni, who is usually quite ostentatious, gives a restrained performance as Geppetto that is surprisingly affecting and Ielepi is so endearing as Pinocchio.  I was fascinated by the special effects, most of which are practical through makeup and prosthetics rather than CGI, because Pinocchio really does seem like a wooden puppet that has come to life (I especially loved how he creaks every time he moves).  As I mentioned, the story, which is very faithful to Carlo Collodi's book The Adventures of Pinocchio, has very dark themes even though it has a quirky and lighthearted tone so it might be a bit disturbing for young children (the scene where Cat and Fox hang Pinocchio from a tree is definitely unsettling).  However, I found it captivating and I would definitely recommend it to adults.