Vice

VICE
2018 | Dir. Adam McKay | 132 Minutes

"When a monotone bureaucratic Vice President came to power, we hardly noticed."

An alcoholic college dropout makes a promise to his ambitious girlfriend to turn his life around. He lands an internship at White House and eventually maneuvers his way to become the Secretary of Defense, his sights set on the Oval Office, eager to utilize an obscure political theory to attain an unprecedented amount of power. As his dream of becoming president slips away, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity presents itself when he is offered the job of Vice President.

Writer/Director Adam McKay's follow up to 2015's The Big Short is an entertaining but wildly meandering evisceration of George W. Bush's enigmatic and ruthless Vice President. While the film's mysterious narrator eloquently states the picture's mission to examine exactly where a man like Dick Cheney originates, the movie never quite delivers on that promise. During its first half, the audience is presented with an unassuming dirt bag who becomes more callous as he successfully makes his way up the political ladder, but his motivations as dramatized by McKay's narrative never seem to go beyond an unquenchable thirst for power with occasional asides suggesting that he is also driven by the whims and ambitions of his wife Lynne. Perhaps by design, the second half is woefully unfocused, sorely lacking anything resembling a coherent emotional throughline.

It's an understatement to say that the overarching story is less than cinematic, but thankfully McKay's comedic sensibilities and the surreal storytelling structure of the picture serve to really liven things up. Stylistically similar to The Big Short, complex concepts (this time, political concepts), and sometimes the Cheney's character traits and backhanded strategies, are explained in humorous asides that are as funny as they are grim. However, the concluding punchlines doubling as major dark revelations surrounding the Bush Administration may seem underwhelming to anyone who paid close attention to news headlines at the time.

Christian Bale's Dick Cheney impression is uncanny and appropriately subdued. In that sense, it should be noted that the role does not require Bale to emote in the slightest as it is very much a purely physical transformation. Ever the force to be reckoned with, Amy Adams turns in another praiseworthy performance as Cheney's headstrong wife and prime motivator Lynne. Steve Carell is captivatingly despicable as the morally bankrupt Donald Rumsfeld. Sam Rockwell's screen time is limited but he is eerily believable as George W. Bush. The film also features Alison Pill and Lily Rabe as Cheney's daughters Mary and Liz, Tyler Perry as Colin Powell, and Alfred Molina, Naomi Watts, and Jesse Plemmons in minor but memorable roles.

Creative narrative structure, clever asides, and key bits of exposition delivered through fun featured cameos only carry Vice so far as it loses a considerable amount of steam during its back half. While it is an amusing and pointed indictment of the fundamental flaws within the American political system, the film's most glaring fault is that it doesn't have anything new or revelatory to say about Dick Cheney and the presidential administration he absolutely controlled.


FRAGMENTS
- Christian Bale gained 45 pounds to play Dick Cheney, reportedly eating lots of pies

- In one memorable sequence, Adam McKay compares the powers obtained through the Unitary Executive Theory to those of Galactus from Marvel Comics; McKay contributed to the script for Ant-Man and is rumored to be developing a film centered on Silver Surfer, Herald of Galactus


MCU CONNECTIONS

- Sam Rockwell (Justin Hammer in Iron Man 2)

- Alfred Molina (Otto Octavius in Spider-Man: No Way Home)

- Christian Bale (Gorr in Thor: Love and Thunder)

A Star is Born

A STAR IS BORN
2018 | Dir. Bradley Cooper | 135 Minutes

"Music is essentially twelve notes between any octave. Twelve notes and the octave repeats. It's the same story told over and over. All the artist can offer the world is how they see those twelve notes."

By chance, talented amateur singer Ally leaves a lasting impression on country music superstar Jackson Maine when he sees Ally perform a drag bar. After convincing Ally to join him on stage to perform an original song that she had written, Ally becomes an overnight success. The pair fall deeply in love but their relationship is under constant pressure from Jack's objection to Ally's career choices and his personal struggles with depression and addiction.

Marking Hollywood's fourth take on A Star is Born, Bradley Cooper's directorial debut is clearly Cooper's passion project considering the amount of heart evident on screen in every frame. The love story that drives the picture is genuinely moving as is the inevitable tragedy inherent in every version of the story. Musical sequences are executed with impressive technical mastery, ranging in scale from small and intimate to massive and exhilarating. The songs, many of which were written by Lady Gaga and Cooper, are bona fide earworms. The moment Ally joins Jack on stage to perform her star-making song is pure cinematic magic, an instantly iconic sequence for the ages.

Unfortunately, the rest of the picture following that moment is spent coming down from that high, never to reach it again. Though surely by design, what remains is a fairly standard critique of stardom and celebrity ego, with Ally following the path of a generic albeit wildly successful pop singer and Jack overtaken by his deep-seated trauma and alcoholism. The wisdom Jack ultimately imparts on Ally is to use her voice to say something meaningful while she has the attention of the world, but his message never cuts any deeper than that.

The fantastic chemistry the two leads share is nothing short of remarkable. Lady Gaga is extraordinary as Ally, perfectly showcasing her authenticity, her vulnerability, and her raw musical talent. Gaga's innate charisma makes it remarkably easy to fall in love with Ally, providing a unique natural energy to her performance. Taking on the role of a self-destructive FM-country star on his way out, Cooper turns in a reliable but relatively standard performance with just enough quietly tormented inner life to stay engaging. The most impressive aspect of Cooper's performance is his commitment to look and sound the part of a country rock artist, without a doubt the product of dedicated research and training. The supporting cast features Andrew Dice Clay as Ally's lovable working class father, Sam Elliott as Jack's long suffering brother and manager, and Dave Chappelle in what amounts to an extended cameo appearance as Jack's supportive best friend.

Though not an entirely fresh retelling of a familiar story, A Star is Born is a well-crafted and emotionally resonant picture with an exceptional soundtrack. Its simple but moving love story is the feature's greatest strength. The film's biggest flaw is that it does not fully illustrate its most interesting idea: the responsibility of pop artists to deliver meaningful art considering the powerful but fleeting nature of their influence on the world.


FRAGMENTS
- The amusing dialogue in the drag bar scenes were mostly improvised

- Some of the musical performances were filmed at the 2017 Coachella Festival

- Jack and Ally's dog in the film is played by Bradley Cooper's dog Charlie


SUPPLEMENTAL STUFF
- Video: Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper "Shallow"

- Video: Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper "Shallow" (Live in Las Vegas on January 26, 2019)

- Video: Lady Gaga "Always Remember Us This Way"

- Video: Lady Gaga "Look What I Found"

- Video: Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper "I'll Never Love Again"


MCU CONNECTIONS
- Bradley Cooper (Rocket in Guardians of the Galaxy, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, Thor: Love and Thunder, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3)

Roma

ROMA
2018 | Dir. Alfonso Cuarón | 135 Minutes

"We love you so much, Cleo."

The modest life of a live-in housekeeper for a middle-class household in 1970 Colonia Roma is disrupted by an unexpected pregnancy. As her employer's marriage falls apart, political turmoil on the streets boil over, and her own situation worsens, Cleo carries on with genuine love and support from the family she serves.

Roma is a meditative examination of a life that would typically be overlooked or dismissed outright for a narrative feature. Beautifully shot in striking black and white, writer/director Alfonso Cuarón accentuates major events of Cleo's story by setting them against the politically volatile times of early 1970s Mexico. Mounting tensions within Cleo's life and her household symbolically manifest into spontaneous forest fires and violence in the streets. Through all of her highs and lows, the profound affection that Cleo shares with the family that employs her figuratively and literally saves her life as well as theirs.

Dedicated to his childhood nanny and loosely based on her life, Caurón captures the minutiae of Cleo's day-to-day activities in tender loving detail. Through these moments and her interactions with the family, particularly with the children she tends to and cares for, Cleo is authentically presented as a fully defined human being with a dignified inner life, never framed as a doting servant but as a valued member of the household. Visually, the scope of the film gracefully expands in several key sequences featuring Cuarón's signature long extended takes that seamlessly build dramatic tension.

Without any formal acting experience, Yalitza Aparicio is warm, charming, and remarkably natural as Cleo, essentially the polar opposite of a big flashy lead performance in the best way possible. Aparicio is especially heartbreaking during the final stretch of the story that requires her to express great loss and greater bravery. Playing the mother of the family, Marina de Tavira effectively portrays a highly-educated headstrong woman on the cusp of a painful divorce, a person who could not be any more different from Cleo in terms of social status and temperament. Some of the film's best moments are shared between Aparicio and de Tavira, as Cuarón focuses on the struggles that the two women have in common.

Visually breathtaking, crafted with love and precision, Roma is a comprehensive showcase of Alfonso Cuarón's skills as storyteller and filmmaker. The picture takes a deeply personal and compassionate look at the life of a humble servant and presents it on a scale that gracefully shifts between intimate and epic. The deliberate pacing the film may be a detractor for some viewers, but the human story of perseverance and unconditional love at its core is profoundly moving and absolutely worthy of an audience.


FRAGMENTS
- Like the character she portrays, Yalitza Aparicio cannot swim and was terrified about the climatic sequence on the beach

- The family goes to the cinema to see the 1969 space adventure film Marooned starring Gregory Peck, a direct inspiration for Alfonso Cuarón's 2013 film Gravity for which he won an Oscar for Best Director

Green Book

GREEN BOOK
2018 | Dir. Peter Farrelly | 130 Minutes

"You never win with violence, Tony. You only win when you maintain your dignity. Dignity always prevails."

New York wise guy Frank "Tony Lip" Vallelonga is hired by acclaimed black pianist Dr. Don Shirley to be his driver and bodyguard for an extended concert tour running through the American Midwest and the Deep South. On this travels with Dr. Shirley guided by the Negro Motorist Green Book, Tony witnesses the injustice black people are subjected to every day. By the end of the journey, Tony develops a lasting friendship with Dr. Shirley.

Based on the real life story of Tony's relationship with Dr. Shirley, written and produced by Tony's son Nick Vallelonga, Green Book is an odd couple comedic drama that juxtaposes street wise Tony with high society artist Dr. Shirley to present a heavy-handed but shallow anti-racism message. Director Peter Farrelly, best known for broad comedies, is a competent fit as the narrative follows the standard structure of a road movie not dissimilar to his past hits Dumb and Dumber and Me, Myself, and Irene. The humor, based primarily in Tony's ignorance and lewdness is rote and by the numbers, as is the way the film handles its central moral, from Tony quipping about the size of women's breasts in Pittsburgh, to his incredulous reaction when he discovers Dr. Shirley is unfamiliar with Little Richard's music, to his dramatic proclamation that his world is "blacker" than Dr. Shirley's when comparing the poverty in his Italian American community to Dr. Shirley's upper class way of life.

Viggo Mortensen's commitment to the role of Tony is commendable, doing his very best to humanize the character despite the fact that he was virtually written to as a stereotypical caricature. As Dr. Shirley, Mahershala Ali is brilliant, lifting up the film with his presence and showcasing his wide range of talent by bringing subtlety to the script's underwritten and somewhat inconsistent depiction of the virtuoso - troubled, reserved, eloquent, lonely, alcoholic, closeted homosexual. The onscreen chemistry between Mortensen and Ali is serviceable but less than memorable. Though always a welcome sight, Linda Cardellini appears in a small part as Tony's wife Dolores without much to do.

Strong performances from Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali elevate Green Book's status from mediocre to pseudo-prestigious. At best, the film is a mostly harmless feel-good picture that simply wags a finger at racism in America. At worst, it doesn't quite work as a comedy or a drama, presenting situations that are far better executed in other pictures that tackle the same subject matter with substantially more grace, tact, and pertinence.


FRAGMENTS
- Dr. Shirley's family condemns the film, stating Tony and Dr. Shirley's relationship was only on a professional level, and the friendship depicted in the picture is a complete fabrication

- Viggo Mortensen gained over 40 pounds to play Tony


MCU CONNECTIONS
- Linda Cardellini (Laura Barton in Avengers: Age of Ultron and Avengers: Endgame, and Lylla in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3)

- Mahershala Ali (Eric Brooks in Blade)

The Favourite

THE FAVOURITE
2018 | Dir. Yorgos Lanthimos | 120 Minutes

"You wish me to lie to you? 'Oh you look like an angel fallen from heaven, your majesty.' No! Sometimes, you look like a badger, and you can rely on me to tell you. Because I will not lie! That is love!"

Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough and adored adviser of Queen Anne, reluctantly assists her estranged cousin Abigail Hill when she arrives at the royal palace seeking employment. As Sarah enforces her political party's agenda through her relationship with the queen, drawing ire from the opposition, the increasingly despondent queen begins to direct her attention and affection towards Abigail who utilizes every tool at her disposal to rise above her station. Tensions escalate as Abigail positions herself in direct opposition to her cousin.

With a deliciously sharp screenplay by Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara that reveals itself as the story of a love triangle by its second act, The Favourite takes full advantage of Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos' relentless sense of comedic timing and talent for building discomfort. Frequent chapter breaks call attention to the brisk pacing of the film with each chapter named for an amusing line of spoken dialogue. The dialogue itself is often grandiose and hilariously blunt in the same breath, giving way to blatant and purposeful anachronisms that turn up throughout the picture, accentuating the dark humor befitting Sarah and Abigail's rivalry and the tragedy that permeates Anne's life. Perhaps due to Lanthimos having no part in writing The Favourite, the stilted line delivery prevalent in his other films is practically absent in this one.

Olivia Colman is heartbreaking and truly excellent as the doltish morbidly-depressed queen. Equal parts ridiculous and sympathetic, Colman delivers an impressively controlled performance that humanizes an under-educated but well-meaning monarch stricken by pathological illness and grief. At the very top of their game, Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone are delightfully cruel as Sarah and Abigail. As the film progresses, in a captivating showcase of their respective talents, the cold exterior of Weisz's Sarah is chipped away to reveal a vulnerable tenderness while conversely Stone's Abigail gradually loses all pretenses of propriety. The film also features Nicholas Hoult in a supporting role as a foppish short-tempered Tory that he plays rather convincingly.

Exploring themes of love, loss, deception, and desperation, The Favourite is as crass, challenging, and darkly funny as one would expect from a film by Yorgos Lanthimos. The picture is worth seeing just to witness the merciless and extremely amusing competition between Rachel Weisz's Sarah and Emma Stone's Abigail. However, the true highlight of the feature is Olivia Colman's simultaneously hysterical and deeply tragic performance as Queen Anne.


FRAGMENTS
- Olivia Colman and Rachel Weisz previously appeared in director Yorgos Lanthimos' 2015 film The Lobster

- Olivia Colman gained 35 pounds to play Queen Anne

- Kate Winslet was initially cast to play Sarah Churchill

- The picture was shot mostly with natural or practical lighting

- The only moment of the film in which male characters have a conversation not about women without women present is a brief exchange between two male characters regarding a duck


MCU CONNECTIONS
- Rachel Weisz (Melina Vostokoff in Black Widow)

Bohemian Rhapsody

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY
2018 | Dir. Bryan Singer* | 134 Minutes

"There's only room in this band for one hysterical queen."

Baggage handler Farrokh Bulsara joins the band Smile in 1970 after their lead singer abruptly quits. The band changes its name to Queen, Farrokh legally changes his name to Freddie Mercury, and their music is massively successful thanks in large part to Freddie's unique voice and eccentric ingenuity. Before long, Freddie's burgeoning ego and public controversy surrounding the question of his sexual orientation threaten to destroy the band. After an extended estrangement from his bandmates, Freddie makes amends and Queen delivers a legendary performance for the Live Aid benefit concert in 1985.

Bohemian Rhapsody is the laziest of biopics, just barely covering the basic story of Freddie Mercury and Queen. The drama surrounding the band is molded into the shape of the standard band movie narrative without anything resembling a unique story beat or hook to set it apart. The movie's best moments are the montages that showcase the band's unorthodox creative method but these sequences are all too brief and still factually incorrect. Freddie is written to act and behave exactly as one would expect for a bold and talented but egotistical frontman, and the more humanizing and interesting aspects of his character such as his internal struggle with his cultural heritage, his intimate relationship with lifelong friend and confidant Mary Austin, and his closeted homosexuality are presented in such a manufactured boiled-down fashion that it all comes off as rather disingenuous. As the film is primarily centered on Freddie, save for a handful of moments featuring an outspoken Roger Taylor, Freddie's bandmates serve more as stand-ins than actual characters. Ultimately, the picture offers no real insight for anyone who is even remotely familiar with Freddie and Queen.

The one true saving grace of the film is Rami Malek's performance. Malek completely disappears into the role of Freddie perfectly emulating all of his natural charisma and stage presence. In spite of the narrative's formulaic direction, he makes the very most out of the material. Lucy Boynton doesn't have much to work with besides sporting a perpetual concerned look as Mary Austin until a clumsily executed scene in which she confronts Freddie about his sexuality. Ben Hardy has the honor of playing Roger Taylor, Freddie's one bandmate with dialogue of any consequence in this film. The supporting cast also features Aidan Gillen as band manager John Reid coming off as a very Aidan Gillen character, Allen Leech as Freddie's manipulative evil boyfriend, and Aaron McCusker as Freddie's down-to-earth good boyfriend.

If Bohemian Rhapsody were a term paper on the celebrated band and its legendary frontman, it would have "See me after class" scrawled across the top of it in red. Rami Malek deserves accolades for his uncanny impersonation of Freddie but the film itself is a poor tribute to one of the greatest rock bands of all time. Simply playing Queen's greatest hits in the cinema does not make up for the picture's lack of nuance, depth, and embellishments to simplify the story of a remarkable life.

*Bryan Singer was replaced by Dexter Fletcher when he was fired near the end of principal photography.


FRAGMENTS
- The film began development with Sacha Baron Cohen attached to star as Freddie, but he left the production citing creative differences

- A somewhat jarring in-joke, actor-comedian Mike Myers plays a record producer who doubts that fans would rock out to "Bohemian Rhapsody" in their cars which is what Mike Myers precisely did in 1992's Wayne's World


007 CONNECTIONS
- Rami Malek (Lyutsifer Safin in No Time To Die)

BlacKkKlansman

BLACKKKLANSMAN
2018 | Dir. Spike Lee | 135 Minutes

"Some of us can speak King's English, others speak jive. Ron Stallworth here happens to be fluent in both."

Fed up with working the records room, Colorado Springs' first black police officer Ron Stallworth is reassigned to the intelligence unit where he opens an investigation into the local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan. While Ron corresponds with the Klan over the phone, his white partner Flip Zimmerman poses as Ron to infiltrate the Klan in person. Together, they uncover the Klan's terrorist plot to bomb a civil rights rally organized by black college students.

Based on Ron Stallworth's memoir, Spike Lee's latest joint gives Stallworth's harrowing real life story a humorous Blaxploitation spin, and the laughs are ever at the expense of hateful bigots. While the picture features a few moments of heightened reality, the film mostly plays it straight, balancing moments of tension, as Flip is under constant scrutiny from twitchy Klan member Felix, and comedy, as Ron seizes every opportunity to make a fool out of Grand Wizard David Duke during their phone conversations. Lee questions the role of both good and bad police in the systematic oppression of minorities, and he juxtaposes the unjustified anger of hate groups against the anger of the truly oppressed.

Skillfully demonstrating the power of film, in one notable sequence Lee compares the deeply problematic fantasy of white superiority as portrayed in D.W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation to the stark reality of the excessively brutal lynching of Jesse Washington presented in real photographs. Expertly, Lee also demonstrates the strength of the moving image in how he bookends the film: opening it with a buffoonish white authority figure condemning the Brown v. Board of Education decision over jarringly edited black and white footage, and closing it with real video footage of the so-called Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville, Virginia and the following vehicular assault against counter-protesters that resulted in the death of Heather Heyer in 2017.

John David Washington proves to be a capable lead actor in the role of Ron, exuding natural charisma, dignity, and real charm. As Flip, Adam Driver is convincing as man with no political leanings suddenly forced to invest in the struggle for social justice after being witnessing evil first-hand. Perfectly cast in the role Patrice Dumas, the black student union president with militant leanings, Laura Harrier doesn't simply fulfill the role of Ron's love interest, she also acts as a strong youthful counterpoint to Ron's faith in the justice system. Topher Grace's signature slightly awkward energy makes his portrayal of David Duke all the more disturbing.

On the surface, BlacKkKlansman is an entertaining movie about a clever lawman besting a group of ignorant criminals with his intellect and resourcefulness. However, just under the surface is a challenging work that examines rhetoric based in falsehoods used to galvanize the hateful and the futility of strictly playing by the rules when attempting to change a broken system. Intriguingly, it also makes a grand statement about the power of film in troubled times, whether that power is used to spread lies or communicate the truth.


FRAGMENTS
- The character of Flip Zimmerman was fabricated for the film as the the true identity of Stallworth's partner remains confidential considering the nature of his role in the real life investigation

- The Klan's bomb plot is also a fabrication to create a narrative for the film's final act; the real Klan chapter that Stallworth and his partner investigated had inserted their members into high-ranking military positions

- Adam Driver spouting fascist Klan rhetoric under a hood sounds exactly like his character Kylo Ren in the Star Wars films

- To fight the depression he felt after playing David Duke, Topher Grace recut Peter Jackson's eight-hour Hobbit Trilogy into a more streamlined, theoretically better two-hour movie


MCU CONNECTIONS
- Corey Hawkins (Navy Operator in Iron Man 3)

- Laura Harrier (Liz Allan in Spider-Man: Homecoming)

The 91st Academy Awards

My ranking of the Best Picture Oscar contenders of 2019:

1. Black Panther
2. Roma +
3. The Favourite
4. BlacKkKlansman
5. A Star is Born
6. Vice
7. Green Book *
8. Bohemian Rhapsody

+ Roma is objectively a better film than Black Panther but subjectively, I love Black Panther more

* Actual Winner