One Battle After Another

ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
2025 | Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson | 162 Minutes

"You know what freedom is? No fear. Just like Tom fucking Cruise."

The former a bomb-maker for the far-left revolutionary group the French 75, Bob Ferguson lives a seemingly over-cautious life with his teenage daughter Willa. When a formidable enemy from the past discovers their current whereabouts, the ex-rebel finds he is woefully unprepared to protect his girl.

Inspired by Thomas Pynchon's 1990 satirical novel Vineland, Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another depicts a world in which the influence of organized bigotry reaches alarmingly far and the struggling opposition is undermined by pettiness and division. The film's duo protagonists caught in the conflict consist of former revolutionary Bob who is hilariously too drunk and stoned to keep up with the times and headstrong teenager Willa who is suddenly forced to learn hard truths about her place in the context of history. Both characters serve as fitting analogs respectively representing the previous and current generations of those who oppose fascism in a reasonably grounded way, stripped of any glorification or romanticism. The pacing of the picture is relentless, from its extended prologue detailing the radical actions of the far-left revolutionary group and their eventual dissolution to its prolonged epic car chase finale. While the plot tends to meander, the picture is consistently engaging, and every story thread weaves together impeccably by its highly satisfying conclusion.

Shot on 35mm film using VistaVision cameras, cinematographer Michael Bauman's work on One Battle After Another is absolutely stunning. The oner tracking Bob as he makes his way through Sensei Sergio's refuge for undocumented immigrants as they prepare to evacuate the city is impressively complicated but incredibly inventive and executed concisely. The sequence leads to a visually striking evening rooftop flight backlit by city and police lights as protestors and cops clash on the streets below. The chase sequence in the finale is staged elegantly, as Willa is pursued by a cold-blooded killer and Bob struggles to catch up, each shot of desolate highway keeps the viewer at the edge of their seat in anxious anticipation of what awaits down the road.

Amusingly pitiful and pitifully amusing, Leonardo DiCaprio delivers yet another performance worthy of acclaim as burnt-out retired revolutionary Bob. Chase Infiniti is captivating as young Willa, convincingly clever and tough in her film debut. As the hateful colonel, Sean Penn is at his most believably despicable, face locked in a pained snarl while he trots along with a distinct gait as if he literally has a stick deeply lodged up his rectum. Though she only briefly appears is the picture, Teyana Taylor's presence is strong and unforgettable embodying complex force of nature Perfidia Beverly Hills. As his coolest, Benicio del Toro also turns in memorable performance as the calm and collected wise sensei and family friend who always has a contingency plan in his back pocket.

One Battle After Another is a harrowing journey through a deeply troubling vision of America (that might as well be tomorrow if the country stays its baffling course). While there are plenty of genuinely funny moments throughout, nearly all of the levity comes at the expense of the ex-rebel's failure to keep up with increasingly confusing circumstances due to years of constant self-medication. It's grim, but the picture offers hope by demonstrating how those who keep a level head will stick around long enough to see the next battle.


FRAGMENTS
- The idiotic division amongst the revolutionaries as depicted in the film, best exemplified by the fraught communication between Bob and Comrade Josh as they argue over passwords, reminds me of how Jin Yong depicts the rather ineffectual rebellion against the Qing Dynasty in his satirical wuxia novel The Deer and the Cauldron

- It seems absurd but totally believable for the white supremacist secret society to be Christmas-themed

- Kevin Tighe makes a brief appearance as the leader of the white supremacist secret society, but I'll always remember him as John Locke's asshole father on Lost


007 CONNECTIONS
- Benicio del Toro (Dario in Licence to Kill)


MCU CONNECTIONS
- Wood Harris (Officer Gale in Ant-Man)

- Benicio del Toro (Taneleer Tivan in Thor: The Dark World, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Avengers: Infinity War)

Conclave

CONCLAVE

2024 | Dir. Edward Berger | 120 Minutes

"No sane man would want the papacy."

When the pope unexpectedly passes away, Cardinal Thomas Lawrence gathers the College of Cardinals to elect a new leader for the Catholic Church. Sequestered in the Vatican to complete the voting process, Lawrence's principles are put to the test as he uncovers secrets surrounding each candidate that gradually shape the outcome election.

A taut drama playing out primarily through interpersonal conflicts with intriguing wider implications about human nature, director Edward Berger's film adaptation of Robert Harris's 2016 novel centered on the election of a new pope is a remarkably suspenseful thriller. Between contentious rounds of voting, Conclave is rich with intense monologues, unpredictable betrayals, and shocking revelations, presenting an ostensibly stuffy premise as a cut-throat competition between papal candidates. While each candidate is given enough characterization to make it easy for audiences to find them analogous to world leaders beyond the walls of the Vatican, at the center of the narrative is a man with no greater ambition than to urge others to make the right decision after considering all the facts laid bare, however difficult it may be.

The production thoroughly portrays the ritual pageantry of Vatican practices, depicting each step of the voting process with meticulous detail. Substituting various locations in Rome and sets at Cinecittà Studios for Vatican City, the filmmakers do a convincing job of depicting the Catholic epicenter. While striking, Volker Bertelmann's aggressive score is occasionally quite distracting. Ultimately, the picture's greatest strength is Peter Straughan's well-paced sharply-written screenplay performed perfectly by a fantastic ensemble cast.

Ralph Fiennes gives a stirring performance as the conflicted Cardinal Lawrence treading the line between loyal friend and impartial official. In the role of the dejected American Cardinal Bellini, Stanley Tucci effortlessly conveys disappointment and seething anger all at once. Captivating and soft-spoken, Carlos Diehz is intriguing in his subtlety as the mysterious Cardinal Benitez. Isabella Rossellini is masterfully understated in a memorable supporting role as Sister Agnes. The cast also features Lucian Msamati as the seemingly influential Nigerian Cardinal Adeyemi with a questionable past, John Lithgow as the deceptively ambitious Canadian Cardinal Tremblay, and Sergio Castellitto as the loathsome vaping far-right Italian Cardinal Tedesco.

Conclave is a gripping procedural on a cinematic scale featuring solid direction, a brilliant script, and a superb cast. Released during political divisive times, despite its isolated Vatican setting the film aptly serves a reflection of the society at large. The picture encourages its audience to make informed carefully-considered decisions, but also to compromise when necessary for the good of the many, just as its protagonist must make challenging and occasionally unorthodox decisions in order to appropriately fulfil his duty.

FRAGMENTS

- The reveal of Cardinal Benitez to be an intersex person is a bit heavy-handed, but I'd argue it works on a thematic level

- On the other hand, the preceding literal explosion is a bit much

007 CONNECTIONS

- Ralph Fiennes (M in Skyall, Spectre, and No Time To Die)

MCU CONNECTIONS

- Stanley Tucci (Abraham Erskine in Captain America: The First Avenger)

American Fiction

AMERICAN FICTION
2023 | Dir. Cord Jefferson | 117 Minutes

"Whole soaring narratives about Black folks in dire circumstances who still manage to maintain their dignity before they die. I mean, I'm not saying these things aren't real, but we're also more than this."

Fed up with deeply flawed but profitable portrayals of African Americans and his own lack of recognition, opinionated English professor and struggling novelist Thelonious "Monk" Ellison writes a satirical "Black" novel under a pseudonym to amuse himself. Unexpectedly, Monk's new book is an immediate success despite his best efforts to sabotage its publication. However, as one crisis after another strikes Monk's family, he must choose between his personal sense of integrity and financial stability.

Adapted from Percival Everett's novel Erasure, Cord Jefferson's American Fiction is a razor-sharp comedy that amusingly deconstructs the rather tired and oftentimes ignorant tropes of marketable African American narratives. The picture criticizes representation in media that leans into stereotypes ranging from frustratingly worn-out to outright offensive through the perspective of a talented and outspoken main character. The most intriguing aspect of the story is that the protagonist carries his own unique personal struggles and deep-seated flaws that no broad generalization would be able to capture, and within the specific lies the genuinely relatable qualities of the character.

While American Fiction unfolds from Monk's point of view, the film decidedly does not portray him as an infallible paragon, but instead encourages the audience to question Monk's biases and to think critically for themselves. The writer's pretentiousness and petty judgmental attitude prove to be significant obstacles that he doesn't quite overcome by the time the credits roll. Monk's resentment ultimately costs him his love interest, his inherent bias towards another Black writer is directly challenged by the novelist herself in one excellent scene, he is the last in his family to discover the father he idolized was not a faithful husband, and he ultimately sells out for profit albeit reluctantly out of desperate financial need. While the story's various subplots either lack substantial closure or resolve in ways without completing conventional narrative arcs, the lack of neat and tidy resolution serves to add realism to the picture as a whole as well as reflect ongoing conversations around representation that will never be resolved completely.

In the role of Monk, Jeffrey Wright is brilliant as the frustrated intellectual making bad art on a lark, hilariously balancing charisma and snobbery. John Ortiz makes for an affable pragmatic voice of reason playing Monk's publisher Arthur. As love interest Coraline, Erika Alexander is affable and capably presents a reasonable counterpoint to Monk's resentment for general audiences. Sterling K. Brown delivers an incredibly funny scene-stealing performance as Monk's newly-divorced perpetually drug-addled brother Cliff. The supporting cast also features Tracee Ellis Ross as Monk's humorously sardonic sister Lisa and Issa Rae as the successful novelist Sintara Golden and subject of Monk's ire.

American Fiction dissects the value of flawed representation while cleverly weaving a funny, challenging, and heartbreaking yarn. Rather boldly, the film elects to not offer any measure of resolution. One could argue that its lack of closure imbues the film with invaluable authenticity.

FRAGMENTS
- Issa Rae also appears in 2024 Best Picture Academy Award Nominee Barbie

- Miriam Shor also appears in 2024 Best Picture Academy Award Nominee Maestro

- Always fun to see Keith David in a film however minor the role


007 CONNECTIONS
Jeffrey Wright (Felix Leiter in Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, and No Time To Die)

MCU CONNECTIONS
- Sterling K. Brown (N'Jobu in Black Panther)

- Miriam Shor (Recorder Vim in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3)

- Leslie Uggams (Blind Al in Deadpool & Wolverine)

- Keith David (Documentary Narrator in Spider-Man: Brand New Day)

Women Talking

WOMEN TALKING

2022 | Dir. Sarah Polley | 104 Minutes

"Why does love, the absence of love, the end of love, the need for love, result in so much violence?"

When the women of an isolated Mennonite colony discover that they have been habitually drugged and raped by the men in their community, they must decide whether to take no action, to fight, or to leave. 

Adapted from Miriam Toews's 2018 novel of the same name, writer/director Sarah Polley's Women Talking is an intense drama that predominantly takes place in one setting in a relatively short span of time. While the inciting incidents leading to the central discussion are never depicted directly, Polley ensures that the shockwave of the assaults suffered by the women reverberate through the entire story, delivering an emotionally powerful experience throughout the film. The narrative thoroughly explores all options available to survivors of chronic abuse, specifically women, as well as the actions that must be taken to educate future generations. Each character presents varying but relatable viewpoints that are easy to understand, stances ranging from relatively moderate to fervently extreme. One is ready to do battle with the men, another is cynically resigned to defeat, and yet another optimistically promotes radical change without resorting to violence. The greatest strength of Polley's screenplay is that every lead role is given a wealth of sympathy and nuance, each player given ample opportunity to command the screen. 

Polley's visual style is absolutely striking, her shot selection is always aesthetically appealing. However, the consistent drab muted color palette, while making a clear thematic point, can be too wearisome if the viewer doesn't acclimate to it. While the majority of film takes place in the hayloft where the principal characters passionately debate over the best course of action to take, the tension always peaks when the picture cuts to flashback sequences depicting the women in the immediate aftermath of each attack, reminding the viewer of the stakes in the most chilling manner.

Rooney Mara is captivating as optimistic Ona, giving an arrestingly warm and radiant performance. A force to be reckoned with, Claire Foy's screen presence is magnificent playing the angry Salome, exuding so much fury. As bitter Mariche who doesn't see the point of taking any action, Jessie Buckley is convincingly prickly and antagonistic. Michelle McLeod provides a sympathetic performance as sensitive Mejal, particularly heartbreaking when in her panic attack scene. Playing soft-spoken scribe August, Ben Whishaw is appropriately understated but incredibly affecting. The support cast includes Judith Ivey as level-headed Agata, Sheila McCarthy as Greta who is always ready to share an allegorical story about her horses, Kate Hallett and Liv McNeil as children Autje and Nietje, August Winter as the trans boy Melvin, and Frances McDormand essentially making a glorified cameo appearance as hostile Scarface Janz.

Women Talking is a riveting drama that presents an isolated microcosm of atrocious sexist injustice with implications that are relevant to all. While the picture is almost exclusively centered on extended heated discourse in one remote location, demanding a dauntingly high level of engagement from the audience, the upsetting inequity it addresses plays out in every community big and small, and is worthy of recurring interrogation. It is a testament to the power of Polley's directing talent and the strength of its fantastic cast that the film so exceptionally engrossing.

FRAGMENTS

- The use of The Monkees' "Daydream Believer" is particularly unsettling in this film

- Hildur Guðnadóttir composed the scores for this film and another 2023 Best Picture Oscar Nominee Tár

007 CONNECTIONS

- Ben Whishaw (Q in Skyfall, Spectre, and No Time To Die)

CODA

CODA
2021 | Dir. Siân Heder | 111 Minutes

"I guess it's about sacrifice. What it means to need someone else."

A child of deaf adults, Ruby is the only member of her family with the ability to hear, but she loves to sing more than anything else. Ruby's choir teacher recognizes her natural talent and encourages her to develop it, but her family, struggling to make ends meet running a fishing business, expects Ruby to remain their designated interpreter. Ruby must choose between assisting her family indefinitely or going to college to pursue her dream of becoming a professional singer.

Based on Éric Lartigau's 2014 French film La Famille Bélier, Siân Heder's CODA is an engaging, no frills story of a young woman who discovers her calling in life but feels held back by the obligation to remain a key factor in her family's livelihood. Heder skillfully balances the picture with equal parts drama and humor, establishing characters and situations that feel true to life. The ensemble cast consists mostly of deaf characters and they all are depicted as complex, fully realized people, never as simple caricatures or plot devices. Ruby's family is charmingly working-class - indulging in the pleasures of drinking, cursing, having loud sex, and smoking weed as much as any other blue collar family. All the while, Ruby's frustration with having to interpret for her family, oftentimes reluctantly, never comes off as completely selfish.

To better depict the experience of deaf people, dialogue is usually muted for scenes in which Ruby isn't present. This creative flourish is used to great dramatic effect during the sequence in which her father's fishing boat is boarded by the coast guard to her father and brother's confusion and dismay when Ruby decides to not translate for them late in the second act, the family already under heavy scrutiny for defying the local fisheries board. The musical performances are a real treat, featuring the genuine substantial vocal talent of the picture's lead actress.

As Ruby, Emilia Jones gives a versatile performance, nuanced and showcasing incredible emotional range, particularly shining when she sings. Troy Kotsur and Marlee Matlin are consistently funny and occasionally heartbreaking as Ruby's loving and stubborn parents. Amusingly prickly, Eugenio Derbez steals all of his scenes as the tough love dispensing choir teacher Bernardo Villalobos. The film also features great work from Daniel Durant as Ruby's brother with a large giant on his shoulder, Amy Forsyth as Ruby's lusty best friend, and Ferdia Walsh-Peelo as Ruby's love interest.

CODA is a touching story that authentically explores the struggle all young people must face when the time comes to leave the nest and pursue their dreams. With a stellar cast lead by a multi-talented young lead, the film is a well-balanced blend of drama and comedy that tugs at heartstrings but never feels manipulative.

FRAGMENTS
- While the title of the film CODA is an acronym that stands for Child of Deaf Adults, the title carries a double meaning as in musical composition a "coda" means a concluding passage of music

- Emilia Jones took voice lessons, learned American Sign Language, and learned how to operate a fishing trawler for nine months before filming began

- All of the deaf members of Ruby's family are played by performers who are also deaf in their real lives

The Father

THE FATHER
2021 | Dir. Florian Zeller | 97 Minutes

"I feel as if I'm losing all my leaves."

An elderly man named Anthony gradually loses his sense of time and place but he rejects his daughter's attempts to provide him with adequate care. As Anthony's condition worsens, he begins to constantly question his surroundings, to wonder why his younger daughter hasn't been in touch, and to suspect that his wristwatch was stolen from him.

French playwright and theatre director Florian Zeller's cinematic debut, The Father is a heart-wrenching drama centered on the tragic struggle of a fiercely independent man seemingly becoming unstuck from time. Adapted from Zeller's acclaimed stage play Le Père, the script is briskly paced and emotionally devastating, offering an intimate glimpse into a deteriorating mind. While the picture is disorienting by design, it is never difficult to follow on an emotional level as the narrative is skillfully presented to the audience strictly from the lead character's perspective. Viewers feel just as confused as Anthony when the identities of the people populating his flat become unclear and sudden seemingly unexplained changes to the furnishings occur.

While the symbolism of a lost wristwatch or a skipping opera CD isn't exactly subtle, they are effective clues that scenes are playing out in ways that are not as they seem. Little by little, it is made clear to the audience through hints in the production design that moments are presented out of chronological order. The clever set design utilizes the same spatial layout for multiple locations and subtleties in the cast's wardrobe allow more observant viewers to deduct the reality of Anthony's increasingly unreliable perspective before the climatic reveal. The most exceptional moment of the film is an intense dinner scene in the middle of the film that startlingly loops its end back to the beginning of the scene, a beautifully written and performed sequence realized by exceptionally crafty editing.

Despite his increasing erratic behavior, it is never difficult to empathize with the eponymous father as Anthony Hopkins gives one of his best performance ever in the lead role, compellingly alternating from forceful to assertive to charming to befuddled to vulnerable, and ultimately, to heartbroken. Much of Hopkins' performance is enhanced by Olivia Colman's excellent work as hapless daughter Anne, able to exude a plethora of emotions within a single close-up of her face, constantly broadcasting the sad reality that her character's father is unable to perceive. As Anne's ill-tempered boyfriend Paul, the one character in the film that doesn't bother to hide their impatience for the old man, Rufus Sewell is convincingly cruel. The cast also features Mark Gatiss, Olivia Williams, and Imogen Poots in brief but memorable roles.

The Father is a deeply moving film elevated by brilliant performances from its outstanding cast and inventive technical craftsmanship. It is an intimate picture that tells an extremely relatable story about the fragility of the human mind and the brutality of memory and time, potentially hitting close to home for anyone with a family member suffering from dementia.


FRAGMENTS
- Olivia Coleman and Mark Gatiss starred in 2019 Best Picture Nominee The Favourite

- Writer/director Florian Zeller wanted Anthony Hopkins specifically for the lead part in this film adaptation, considering no other actor for the role, even naming the lead character Anthony in the screenplay

- The character Anthony's date of birth, December 31, 1937, is Anthony Hopkins' actual date of birth


MCU CONNECTIONS
- Anthony Hopkins (Odin in Thor, Thor: The Dark World, and Thor: Ragnarok)

- Mark Gatiss (Ted Gilbert in The Fantastic Four: First Steps) 

Jojo Rabbit

JOJO RABBIT
2019 | Dir. Taika Waititi | 108 Minutes

"You're not a Nazi, Jojo. You're a ten year-old kid who likes dressing up in a funny uniform and wants to be part of a club, but you are not one of them."

In the final days of World War II, an insecure Hitler Youth member named Jojo is bullied by other Nazi boys but receives constant reassurance from his imaginary friend Adolf. Jojo's world is turned upside down when he discovers his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their attic.

Featuring bright and colorful sets and costumes, and German versions of anachronistic pop songs permeating its soundtrack, Jojo Rabbit is as broad and funny as director Taika Waititi's supporting performance in the role of the off-the-wall imaginary Adolf. The way the illusory dictator plants both silly and hateful ideas in the young Jojo's head encapsulates Waititi's view on the absurd and childish nature of fascist rhetoric. However, the social commentary perhaps doesn't quite cut deep enough.

Jojo Rabbit works best as a delightfully off-beat coming-of-age story, less effectively as satire. It's a great story, Jojo's adorable reluctant adolescent crush on his new housemate and his love for his progressive free-thinking mother drive him away from fascism. However, it may be slightly naive to suggest love will always conquer ignorance and senseless hatred. The sentiment is more difficult to accept when the film doesn't afford nearly as much character depth to the mindless adult sycophants surrounding Jojo. The one exception comes in the form of the jaded Captain Klenzendorf, so disillusioned with the war that he seems to have retained his moral compass in a slightly vague way.

The decidedly grimmer, more dramatic, less comedic second half of Jojo Rabbit is significantly stronger. Waititi's talent for ramping up emotionally resonant moments after establishing his characters through comedy bolsters the impact of the picture's most heartbreaking scenes, elevating the film and imbuing it with a unique tone. Jojo's maturation into a conscientious person is accelerated by tragedy, and his struggle to be less selfish and more empathetic is the most authentic aspect of the narrative.

As Jojo, Roman Griffin Davis is extraordinarily impressive, showing genuine spirit in the role while keeping pace with Waititi's wacky Adolf and playing exceptionally well against Scarlett Johansson who turns in a radiant and delightful performance as Jojo's headstrong and ever-optimistic mother Rosie. While Waititi's Adolf represents the proverbial devil on Jojo's shoulders - one that feasts on unicorn - Johansson's Rosie is very much the angel at war with their dangerous influences that are poisoning her son's world view. Thomasin McKenzie exudes a weariness beyond her years as the tough and feisty Elsa. Sam Rockwell stands out as the weary Klenzendorf, some of his more amusing scenes hint at an off-screen romance between the captain and his second-in-command Finkel played by a gleeful Alfie Allen. The film also features hilarious performances from Rebel Wilson as blunt Hitler Youth instructor Fräulein Rahm and Stephen Merchant jovial Gestapo Agent Deertz while Archie Yates steals every one of his scenes as Jojo's innocent best friend Yorki.

Jojo Rabbit is a sweet and moving film even if its central premise of pure love being the key to weather hate and ignorance is generally over-simplistic. While its sense of satirical humor is a little too precious, the picture is at its strongest during its tensest and most emotionally powerful moments, presenting a heartfelt story about children growing up in troubling times.


FRAGMENTS
- The film is adapted from Christine Leunens's 2004 novel Caging Skies

- Scarlett Johansson also appears in 2020 Best Picture Nominee Marriage Story, nominated for Best Actress for her performance in that film


MCU CONNECTIONS
- Scarlett Johansson (Natasha Romanoff in Iron Man 2, The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, and Black Widow)

- Sam Rockwell (Justin Hammer in Iron Man 2)

- Taika Waititi (Korg in Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Endgame, and Thor: Love and Thunder)

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)

Call Me By Your Name

CALL ME BY YOUR NAME
2017 | Dir. Luca Guadagnino | 132 Minutes

"Right now, there's sorrow, pain. Don't kill it and with it the joy you've felt."

In the summer of 1983 in the Italian countryside, Elio, the teenage son of an archaeology professor falls in love with Oliver, a graduate student spending the summer with Elio's family. Fearing the social stigma against homosexuality of the time, they carry one their relationship in secret. Elio suffers the biggest emotional loss of his young life as Oliver returns home at the end of the summer.

Luca Guadagnino's adaptation of André Aciman's 2007 novel depicts love, longing, sexuality, heartbreak, and loss through an honest lens that is never judgmental and never veers into exploitation. Beautifully shot in Crema, Lombardy in northern Italy, the film affectively creates an ephemeral idyllic setting both visually and emotionally. Where the film fails to be compelling at certain points is in its lack of dramatic stakes. While there is palpable emotional tension throughout the picture, there isn't much narrative tension to speak of as Oliver's return home is inevitable.

Timothée Chalamet carries the film with a heartfelt and delicate performance as Elio. Equal parts spirited and vulnerable, Chalamet impressively evokes the genuine and often-times confusing emotions of first love. Perpetual second-string actor Armie Hammer is serviceable but ultimately unremarkable as Oliver. Young actress Esther Garrel is adorable in a small but notable part as Elio's jilted girlfriend Marzia. As Elio's father, Michael Stuhlbarg is entertaining as a passionate academic, and ultimately a crucial player in the defining scene of the feature in which the professor reveals to Elio his knowledge and support of the relationship shared between Elio and Oliver.

Call Me By Your Name is a touchingly earnest examination of fleeting romance and youth. For what its worth, the picture is nearly devoid of dramatic tension. The tragedy of this love story, as in all stories of young love, is that the central relationship was never meant to last but there is a multitude of lessons to be learned from it.


FRAGMENTS
- The final shot of the film is of Elio crying in front of a fireplace as Sufjan Stevens' "Visions of Gideon," which was specifically written for the film, plays and the end credits roll -- this sequence absolutely destroyed me

- Timothée Chalamet appears in two Best Picture Oscar Nominees that were released in 2017: this film and Lady Bird

- Michael Stuhlbarg appears in three Best Picture Oscar Nominees that were released in 2017: this film, The Post, and The Shape of Water


MCU CONNECTIONS
- Michael Stuhlbarg (Nicodemus West in Doctor Strange and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness)

Moonlight

MOONLIGHT
2016 | Dir. Barry Jenkins | 111 Minutes

"You could be gay, but you don't got to let nobody call you no faggot."

Chiron, a shy African-American child nicknamed "Little" growing up in an impoverished South Miami neighborhood is antagonized by bullies and his emotionally abusive drug addict mother. A local pusher forms a positive bond with Little and quickly becomes a father figure to the boy but he soon realizes his business directly harms Little. As a teenager, Chiron becomes aware that he is sexually attracted to his childhood friend Kevin, but a violent incident involving Kevin drives him to retaliate against a tormentor. Several years later, now going a drug dealer going by the moniker "Black," Chiron reconnects with Kevin.

Written and directed by Barry Jenkins, based on MacArthur Fellow Tarell Alvin McCraney's semi-autobiographical play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue, Moonlight is a work of true cinematic art. Jenkins' screenplay elegantly tells a deeply personal story of emotional conflict and personal discovery, chronicling Chiron’s journey into manhood, exploring what it means to be a man without providing a limiting definition. Admirably, Jenkins' direction never crosses over into heavy-handedness, a common pitfall countless great film directors still fail to avoid. Cinematographer James Laxton, and film editors Nat Sanders and Joi McMillon, have done commendable work in creating the three-act story, every frame a striking painting, each expertly timed sequence seamlessly flowing to the next. Also notable are composer Nicholas Britell's moving film score, Jenkins' expert use of diegetic music, and a recurring beach and ocean motif signifying Chiron's contentment.

Three talented actors playing Chiron for each of the narrative's three acts, each delivering their own unique take on the character. Child actor Alex Hibbert portrays Little with a moving quality of youthful innocence. Ashton Sanders is convincing as the teenage Chiron, a confused young man on the cusp of adulthood seething with anger just under the surface. As Black, Trevante Rhodes successfully demonstrates Chiron's transformation to what is virtually the inverse of Sanders' Chiron, a gentle soul encased in a rough abrasive exterior.

Though less dramatically notable than his counterpart, the part of Kevin is also played by three actors for each act of the story with Jaden Piner as Kevin as a child, Jharrel Jerome as teenage Kevin, and André Holland as the adult Kevin. Breaking type for the first time in her film career, the typically affable Naomie Harris is convincingly frightening and heartbreaking as Chiron's drug-addled mother Paula. Though he only appears during the first act of the film, Mahershala Ali leaves a lasting impression as Juan, bringing real pathos to the atypical role of a drug dealer who contains multitudes. Singer Janelle Monáe makes her film acting debut and delivers a likeable natural performance as Juan's attractive and emotionally supportive girlfriend Teresa. The film also features young actor Patrick Decile as archetypal school bully Terrel.

Visually stunning, featuring an extraordinary cast of young and veteran performers, Barry Jenkins' Moonlight is a remarkable motion picture. Though its narrative focuses on the life of one individual without straying far from one specific geographical region, the film's emotional scope is astonishingly grand, exploring numerous facets of personal identity discovered and transformed by time and pressure - both personal and societal.


FRAGMENTS
-  Roughly 80% of the film was shot on location in the real-life poverty-stricken Liberty City neighborhood of Miami, Florida

- Janelle Monáe and Mahershala Ali also appear in Hidden Figures, also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2017


007 CONNECTIONS
- Naomie Harris (Moneypenny in Skyfall, Spectre, and No Time To Die)

MCU CONNECTIONS

- Mahershala Ali (Eric Brooks in Blade)

The Big Short

THE BIG SHORT
2015 | Dir. Adam McKay | 130 Minutes

"Truth is like poetry. And most people fucking hate poetry."

In 2005, hedge fund manager Michael Burry notices that the US housing market is on the brink of collapse. To the disbelief of his clients and his superiors, Burry approaches several major banks to create credit default swaps, a way for him to bet against the banks for substantial profit when the housing market fails. Serendipitously, the creation of the swap market catches the attention of unscrupulous Deutsche Bank bond salesman Jared Vennet, short-tempered and outspoken hedge fund manager Mark Baum and his team, young fledgling investors Charlie Geller and Jamie Shipley and their reclusive mentor Ben Rickert. As they watch the market fail beginning in 2007, the three groups learn the full extent of the greed and stupidity driving the ones responsible for ruining the economy.

Based on Michael Lewis' non-fiction account of the housing crisis, The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine, Adam McKay's film is immensely entertaining while it brings to light exactly how Wall Street and the US Government wronged the average American homeowner and taxpayer, and how the institutions ultimately tore apart the world economy. The film paints a cynical, bitterly funny picture with ongoing real world problems that have yet to be resolved as of this writing.

With as much style and wit as possible, the film aims to keep its audience engaged and, quite possibly, enraged. Vennett serves as film's often condescending narrator, speaking through the fourth wall directly to the audience. Interludes featuring celebrity guests Margot Robbie, Anthony Bourdain, and Selena Gomez as themselves give the audience a crash course on complex financial concepts using easy-to-understand analogies. In a throwaway show of honesty, other characters occasionally break the fourth wall as well, pointing out minor discrepancies in the narrative, quick to point out how events actually transpired in reality.

The cast is comprised of major talent primarily featuring Christian Bale turning up his eccentricity as Burry, Steve Carell in an amusingly angry and at times heartbreaking performance as Baum, Ryan Gosling being cartoonishly aggressive as Vennett, and John Magaro and Finn Wittrock as young and occasionally naïve Geller and Shipley. In a small but important part, producer Brad Pitt plays Rickert as the blunt voice of reason. The cast also features Hamish Linklater, Rafe Spall, and Jeremy Strong making up Baum's staff at FrontPoint Capital, Marisa Tomei as Baum's weary wife, with Melissa Leo, Byron Mann, and Karen Gillan in brief but memorable roles.

Known for his prowess as a comedic writer and director, The Big Short is McKay is at the very top of his game. The film is a culmination of McKay's work as a filmmaker, skillfully breaking down the reality of a complex financial crisis for mass consumption and maximum cinematic impact.


FRAGMENT
- This is the first Adam McKay film to not feature regular collaborator Will Ferrell


MCU CONNECTIONS
- Karen Gillan (Nebula 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)

- Marisa Tomei (May Parker in Captain America: Civil War, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day)

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

The Imitation Game

THE IMITATION GAME
2014 | Dir. Morten Tyldum | 114 Minutes

"Sometimes it is the people who no one imagines anything of who do the things that no one can imagine."

The Imitation Game tells the true story of Alan Turing, the brilliant English mathematician who was instrumental in British efforts to decipher Nazi military intelligence encoded by the German Enigma machines throughout World War II. Turing eventually created the Turing Machine, the world's first computer. The film is juxtaposes three distinct time periods of Turing's life: His unhappy childhood spent in a boarding school in 1927, his time as a code breaker in Bletchley Park from 1939 to VE Day, and the last years of his life persecuted by Britain for being homosexual.

Benedict Cumberbatch's portrayal of Turing as a social pariah imbued with extraordinary intellect isn't a far cry from his turn as Sherlock Holmes on the BBC's Sherlock, but he plays the role with delicate nuance and grace, and brings a striking vulnerability to the at-times larger than life character. Late in the film, after Turing began a government-mandated regimen of medication to chemically castrate him, Cumberbatch is simply heartbreaking as he demonstrates the deterioration of Turing's once-formidable mental faculties, unable to even begin to solve a crossword puzzle, intellectual diversions he once relished.

The film boasts a robust supporting cast featuring Charles Dance, Mark Strong, Matthew Goode, and Keira Knightley. Knightley in particular is most impressive as Joan Clarke, Turing's longtime friend, colleague, and trusted confidant, brilliant in her own right and personally recruited by Turing to be a codebreaker during a time when women were relegated to secretarial duties. Perhaps best known for playing plucky female heroes, Knightley delivers a strong performance, appropriately portraying Clarke as a fully-realized woman, more than just a one-dimensional supporting figure. Alex Lawther's excellent performance as Turing at age 12 is also worth mentioning, effectively carrying his third of the narrative, culminating in a powerful scene in which young Turing learns of the untimely passing of his closest friend.

Written by Graham Moore, based on the biography Alan Turing: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges, the screenplay topped the 2011 Black List* and it shows. Exchanges between Turing his colleagues, particularly with Clarke, are brisk and full of wit and tact. Competently directed by Morten Tyldum, it's a tight and appropriately thrilling historical drama, with hefty dose of espionage intrigue slightly marred by just a few instances of distracting World War II stock footage and brief CGI sequences used to bridge certain sequences. The film is an effective statement on how society is often guilty of mistreating its heroes simply for straying from the norm, for being different.

*The Black List is an annual survey of the most-liked Hollywood movie scripts not yet produced.


FRAGMENTS
- Yet another good film to add to the collective of essential World War II films

- Always a pleasure to see Charles Dance and Mark Strong do their respective things. although I imagine it must be at least mildly frustrating to be the go-to "British Bad Guy" character actors


007 CONNECTIONS
- Rory Kinnear (Bill Tanner in Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, Spectre, and No Time To Die)


MCU CONNECTIONS
- Benedict Cumberbatch (Stephen Strange in Doctor Strange, Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness)