With Netflix and other streaming services gaining more influence and Disney not only swallowing up one of the last of the original movie studios, 20th Century Fox but they have just set an industry record by reaching an incredible 13 billion dollars at the global box-office, the movie business is definitely in flux. Nobody knows what in store for the future of the movie-going experience or what type of films will actually reach theaters as more streaming services are emerging with Apple and Disney recently getting in on the action. While remaining slightly optimistic, I am still very concerned that we will reach a point when all that will play in theaters are big-budget, visual effect-heavy spectacles with modest stories involving the human experience will be regulated to the small screen. But for now, there were still great adult fare to be found playing in theaters last year although Netflix was behind some of them, giving them brief theatrical runs before moving them on their network.
Here is my list of favorite films from 2019 in no particular order: "MARRIAGE STORY"
I think Noah Baumbach is, without a doubt, one of the most important filmmakers working today. And with "Marriage Story", an emotionally blistering yet darkly comedic account of the end of a marriage, the writer/director has made what can easily be called the best work of his career. The couple, Charlie and Nicole, are played by Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson who both deliver incredible nuanced performances. He is a successful New York theater director and she is an actress who had fame in Hollywood as a teen. They plan to separate amicably (and without lawyers) for the sake of Henry (Azhy Robertson), their eight year old son. But after Nicole goes to L.A. for work, she is advised to get legal council and hires a zealous family attorney (a blazing Laura Dern). This leaves Charlie scrambling to find a lawyer; first meeting with a brash attorney (Ray Liotta) but is too expensive before settling on a retired lawyer (Alan Alda) to help his case. Once in court, the case turns ugly and contentious, weaponizing innocuous comments and mistakes from their past. Baumbach has used his own experiences with divorce involving his parents (which was the basis for his 2005 breakout feature film, "The Squid and the Whale") and himself (he was married to actress, Jennifer Jason Leigh) for inspiration in his work. "Marriage Story" is a sharply written, emotionally complex drama that expertly displays all of the passionate joy and intense pain that can come from a loving relationship.
"LITTLE WOMEN"
What actress-turned-exceptional filmmaker, Greta Gerwig has done with the seventh feature film version of "Little Women" is absolutely astonishing. While faithfully adapting Louisa May Alcott's cherished story, Gerwig has deftly restructured the plot timeline and brought a fresh perspective to the characters while maintaining the spirit of this inspirational book. We still have the March sisters; the eldest, Meg (Emma Watson) the headstrong, Jo (Saoirse Ronan) the shy, Beth (Eliza Scanlen) and the youngest, Amy (Florence Pugh) as we look at their childhood with their mother, Marmee (Laura Dern) lovingly instilling in her girls the importance of altruism. But the film begins with the sisters as young adults trying to make their way in a world that proves challenging for women. With a fantastic cast (including Timothée Chalamet, Tracy Letts, Louis Garrel, Bob Odenkirk, Chris Cooper and Meryl Streep as Aunt March) and beautifully photographed by Yorick Le Saux, Ms Gerwig has made this "Little Women" a modern classic and has proven with only her second film (her debut, "Lady Bird" made it on this list in 2017) as a writer/director that she is a considerable talent to watch.
"THE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO"
"The Last Black Man In San Francisco", the debut feature film from co-writer and director, Joe Talbot, is a haunting and soulful look at a young man trying to regain his sense of home (literally and figuratively) in a city that is shifting and leaving a large part of the population displaced in it's wake. This winner at last year's Sundance Film Festival for Best Director and a Special Jury Award for Creator Collaboration tells the story of Jimmie Fails (played by Jimmie Fails who co-created the story with Talbot and is loosely based on his life) who is obssessed with a Victorian home in the Bay Area his family once owned that his grandfather had built. A white family is currently living in the home but after it is abruptly vacated and put on the market, Jimmie finds this the perfect opportunity to take back ownership. Currently crashing with his best friend, Montgomery (Jonathan Majors, in a breakout role) at the home of his blind grandfather (Danny Glover), the two simply break in and begin living in the house. This beautifully rendered, surrealistic film touches on the history of African-Americans in San Francisco and the growing threat of gentrification while we watch these two outsiders struggling to find their place in to a society that they don't neatly fit in.
"JOJO RABBIT"
With "Jojo Rabbit", Taika Waititi has managed to make a warm, touching and hilarious movie involving the unlikely subjects of Hitler, Nazis and WWII. Jojo Betzler (an amazing Roman Griffin Davis) is an earnest Nazi youth-in-training yet has some doubts despite encouragement from his wacky, imaginary friend, Adolf Hitler (Waititi). After discovering that his mother (Scarlett Johansson) has been hiding a Jewish girl (Thomasin McKenzie) in their home, Jojo's indoctrinated beliefs become further challenged. While "Jojo Rabbit" may subtly point out the similarities to our current turbulent political climate, the gifted filmmaker has stated that the film is actually a love letter to mothers, particularly single mothers.
"1917"
"1917" is a stunning visual achievement from director, Sam Mendes and cinematographer, Roger Deakins that takes us on a harrowing journey with two young soldiers on a life-or-death mission during WW I. Two British men, Schofield (George MacKay) and Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) are assigned to hand deliver a message across no-man's land to the Devonshire Regiment, telling them to call off their planned attack on the German forces. The Germans have not actually retreated from the front and are planning to ambush the battalion of over one thousand men with Blake's brother among them.
This terrifying ordeal, which is based on stories that Mr. Mendes heard from his grandfather who served during this war, is heightened with the film appearing to have been made in one continuous shot, making the audience feel like they are part of this traumatic undertaking. Some may find the single camera move too much of a distracting gimmick but "1917" remains an effective and moving drama that pays tribute to the fearless, dedicated soldiers who sacrificed their lives and a somber reminder of the senseless tragedy of war.
"HUSTLERS"
Based on a New York magazine article, "Hustlers", Lorene Scafaria's razor-sharp and deviously entertaining drama, is about a group of strippers who create an inventive yet highly corrupt way to earn some extra money. Constance Wu plays "Destiny", a new girl at the New York strip club, Scores, who struggles to get noticed. Enter Ramona (played by Jennifer Lopez in a career-redefining performance), a magnetic showstopper whose stage routine climaxes with her showered in cash. Mesmerized by her seemingly effortless talent, Destiny approaches Ramona and she decides to take the novice under her wing. Destiny learns some valuable tricks-of-the-trade and finds success with the two becoming close friends. But the 2008 financial collapse forces the ladies to get very creative on trying to make a living. The women (with some help by fellow strippers played by Keke Palmer and Lili Reinhart) begin to spike the drinks of their wealthy clients so they can max-out their credit cards. "Hustlers" may be a twisted crime caper but it's also a sexy, funny and emotional story involving vulnerable women trying to regain control of their lives with a strong emphasis on female bonding and empowerment.
"BOOKSMART"
"Booksmart", the impressive feature film directorial debut by actress, Olivia Wilde, is a raunchy, coming-of-age comedy yet told from a decidedly female perspective. Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever play childhood best friends, Molly and Amy who are now high-school seniors. The two have devoted all their time to studying hard so they can get into a good college. But they discover that many of the other kids who partied hard throughout the year also were accepted in to good schools. Frustrated that they wasted their prime school years with their noses buried in books, Molly and Amy decide to go to a big graduation party in order to make up for the time lost. Unfortunately, neither of them know the actual address and spend the evening trying to find the location. This leads to the girls encountering strange, drugged-out people and getting involved in some very odd situations. While we are familiar with the standard teen comedy, Ms Wilde brilliantly shakes up the routine with a colorful, inclusive look at friendships and self-acceptance. "Booksmart" is further enhanced by the spirited chemistry between Ms Feldstein and Ms Dever.
"FORD V. FERRARI"
I am not particularly a fan of fast cars and auto racing but I am an enthusiastic admirer of "Ford v. Ferrari", a masterful fact-based drama from James Mangold which is anchored by two pitch-perfect performances by Christian Bale and Matt Damon. After a business deal to buy Ferrari goes sour with the American company and CEO insulted in the process, Ford Motor Company's Henry Ford II (Tracy Letts) is furious and determined to build a car to defeat the Italian luxury car manufacturer at the 24 hour Le Mans Grand Prix. Ford VP, Lee Iacocca (Jon Bernthal) hires Carroll Shelby (Damon), a former racing driver who had to retire due to health issues and now a auto engineer, to create a car to compete in the 1966 race. Shelby brings on British driver and mechanic, Ken Miles (Bale) to help with this project. But he's difficult and hot-headed which makes him problematic with the higher-ups at Ford, particularly with Leo Beebe (Josh Lucas), a senior VP who has made it his mission to get Miles off the team. The racing sequences are absolutely electrifying (shot by Oscar-nominated cinematographer, Phedon Papamichael) but it's the compelling emotional dynamic between the characters that truly makes this film standout. "UNCUT GEMS"
Adam Sandler, the king of the low-brow comedies, has miraculously become a serious thespian with his outstanding performance in the Safdie brothers' latest, "Uncut Gems", a raw and brutal dramatic thriller. He plays Howard Ratner, a New York jeweler with a serious gambling problem. He's gotten his hands on a rare black opal and had it smuggled in from Africa with plans to sell the jewel for big money at auction. But in the meantime, he has to deal with his estranged wife (a superb Idina Menzel) and their kids, a much younger girlfriend (Julia Fox, who is one-to-watch) and his loan shark brother-in-law (Eric Bogosian) that he owes a lot of money. When Howard's associate, Demany (Lakeith Stanfield) brings NBA player, Kevin Garnett (playing a version of himself) in to the store, he wants to impress by showing him the opal. However, Garnett becomes obsessed with this gem and wants to hold on to it for good luck before his game. Reluctantly, Howard agrees in exchange for Garnett's championship ring as collateral. But Howard pawns the ring in order to place a huge bet and plans to buy it back from the winnings. It should be no surprise that nothing goes according to Howard's outrageous scheme. Much like the Coen Brothers at the beginning of their career, Josh and Benny Safdie have their own offbeat cinematic style that will take some time before becoming viewed as mainstream and their accomplished sixth feature, "Uncut Gems" displays that these brothers are certainly on their way.
"KNIVES OUT"
The only thing "Knives Out" has in common with those Agatha Christie whodunit mysteries is that there's a dead body and nobody knows (or admits) how it ended up that way. Writer/director, Rian Johnson has taken the murder mystery and refreshed the genre with a cleverly plotted, unexpectedly funny and thoroughly entertaining film. And a top-notch, all-star cast is the perfect cherry on top. Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer), a wealthy mystery novelist, invites his family to celebrate his 85th birthday. There's his real estate mogul daughter (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her husband (Don Johnson); the youngest son (Michael Shannon) who helps run his father's business, the lifestyle guru (Toni Collette) who is the widow of Harlan's deceased son and a couple of grandchildren (Katherine Langford and Jaeden Martell). But Harlan ends up dead the next day and it appear to be murder. Police detectives (Lakeith Stanfield and Noah Segan) and Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig), a world-class private detective, are called upon to investigate the crime with everyone as a potential suspect. Marta Cabrera (Ana de Armas, in a star-making turn), Harlan's nurse and caretaker, wants to help the investigators but also knows more than she's willing to reveal. But Hugh Ransom Drysdale (Chris Evans), Harlan's much despised, estranged grandson, discovers Marta's secret and tries to use it to his advantage.
"AVENGERS: ENDGAME"
After twenty-one previous films in the series and one of the most expensive ever made (with a staggering $356 million dollar budget), "Avengers: Endgame" delivers a thrilling, charming and surprisingly heartfelt "conclusion" to the MarvelCinematic Universe. While we know for certain that Disney is not going to stop making these movies yet we have come to the end with many of the actors in these roles as well as some of the characters. For now, the future of MCU is still a big question mark. "Endgame" continues where we left off with "Avengers: Infinity War" after Thanos (Josh Brolin) succeeded in getting all of the Infinity stones to use with the gauntlet to disintegrate half of life in the universe. The surviving Avengers (which includes Bruce Banner/Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Captain America (Chris Evans), Black Widow (the very busy, Scarlett Johansson) and Chris Hemsworth as Thor) locate Thanos to reverse his act but he has already destroyed the stones. Five years later, Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) has escaped from the Quantum realm and learns what has happened. He devises a plan to use the realm to go back in time in order to get the stones in order to prevent Thanos's plan in the future. And the highlight of this incredibly entertaining film is the breathtaking epic battle near the end that features virtually all of the heroes in the MCU.
Honorable mention: "The Art of Self-Defense", "Climax", "The Farewell", "Gloria Bell", "Good Boys", "Her Smell", "Honey Boy", "Parasite", "Portrait of a Lady On Fire", "Shazam!", "Slut In A Good Way", "The Souvenir","Queen & Slim", "Under The Silver Lake"
Where & When: Arclight Cinemas, Hollywood, CA. October 16, 2019 7:30 PM
The idea of a movie about an enthusiastic Nazi youth who discovers a Jewish girl hiding in his home and has an imaginary friendship with the Führer himself, Adolf Hitler may sound off-putting and offensive to quite a few people. That was certainly my initial reaction when I heard the plot for "Jojo Rabbit", a pitch black WWII farce from Taika Waititi. Yet in the hands of this New Zealand actor/filmmaker, who brought us the hilariously eccentric comedies, "What We Do in the Shadows" and "Hunt for the Wilderpeople" and most famously invigorated the Marvel Universe by adding his offbeat wit to the conventional super-hero antics in "Thor: Ragnarok", he has managed to make one of the most absurd, charming, poignant and laugh-out-loud funny movies I have seen, not only this year but in a really long time.
This is quite an achievement considering how "Jojo Rabbit" could have easily gone extremely distasteful and intolerable due to the tricky story which is based on the book, "Caging Skies" by Christine Leunens. And after seeing the film, it's really no surprise that it won the Audience Award at this year's Toronto Film Festival as "Jojo Rabbit" has given Mr. Waititi the perfect opportunity to use his taste for weird, wild comedy while making a thoughtful and powerful statement on love and tolerance.
Our story starts in the middle of World War II Germany where we meet the ten year old Johannes Betzler (Roman Griffin Davis) who is known as "Jojo". With his father off somewhere fighting in Italy and recently losing his older sister to illness, Jojo now only has his mother, Rosie (Scarlett Johansson) who remain upbeat, giving him plenty of love and support. Oh, and then there is Hitler (played by Waititi), who the nefarious Nazi Leader is conjured up when Jojo needs advice from an apparent father figure.
Jojo attends a youth training group where the students learn the fine art of killing and the dangers of Jews from the Nazi perspective. When he is brought up to prove his murderous spirit by killing a rabbit, Jojo winds up setting it free and runs off crying, earning him the nickname, "Jojo Rabbit". After Hitler offers him some advice to prove his bravery, Jojo returns with a live hand grenade. But his plan backfires (literally) and leaves him seriously injured.
While at home recuperating, Jojo discovers someone hiding upstairs in the attic. She is Elsa Korr (Thomasin McKenzie), a friend of his late sister and Jewish. Jojo threatens to turn her over to the police but she informs him that they would arrest his mother as well for hiding her. He decides to use this situation to his advantage, insisting Elsa reveal "Jew secrets" to help him write a useful book on the subject. Deciding to play along with this ignorant boy, she confirms the wild stories Jojo has learned of Jews in school like them reading minds and drinking blood.
Mr. Waititi was aware that he would be drawing criticism from some corners for his lighthearted depictions of murderous Nazis, despite them being portrayed as bumbling idiots. One major change he made from Leunens' novel was the addition of the imaginary Hitler who is viewed as a wacky goofball and even somewhat likable. But the director obviously had no interest in making Nazis sympathetic or inoffensive. The aim was to consider that beneath these monsters were still human beings, with some very likely brainwashed to blindly hate. Drawn to the themes against hate and war in the book, Waititi has added his unique comic spin as a way to counterbalance the seriousness of this dark story.
As a mother who secretly has political beliefs that do not line up with her son's, Ms Johansson has never been more charming and intriguing. There is great supporting comedic work from Rebel Wilson, Stephen Merchant and Sam Rockwell as an army officer who runs the Nazi youth camp. But it is the eleven year old Griffin Davis who impresses in his first leading film role. The expressive young actor handles the confusing, conflicting messages that Jojo receives about Jews, Nazis and his own mother with considerable skill and expert comic timing. And special mention must be made about Archie Yates who plays Jojo's buddy and fellow Nazi-in-training, Yorki. Yates is adorable, hilarious and steals every scene he's in.
In this era of wokeness and #MeToo, filmmakers seem even more reluctant to stick their necks out to make anything that would be considered objectionable to the overly sensitive minds of today's audience. I think of Mel Brooks whose classic yet un-PC comedies, "Blazing Saddles", "Young Frankenstein" (who some might find mocking the living dead) and "The Producers" (which features a musical love story about Hitler) I'm certain would not be made today or at least not in their current form. Trust me, I'm fully aware Hollywood does not have a great track record on being sensitive or considerate to the images of people of color, the LGBTQ community and women that have been put on the big screen. Yet it does seem like we are moving to the extreme of being overly careful not to offend anyone which I think can be potentially dangerous in creating art.
With "Jojo Rabbit", Mr. Waititi took a big risk in making a comedy set during one of the most horrific, contentious and emotionally fraught periods in human history. And because of that, it may be hard to convince people that they should see this film. But I really think "Jojo Rabbit" should not be missed.
We are made to laugh hysterically throughout most of "Jojo Rabbit" until there is an unexpected moment that is shocking to the core and completely heartbreaking. This shift makes us realize that the director wants to use his film to not only entertain but also offer insight and inspire conversation. I think Waititi has an extraordinary gift to make us feel many different emotions throughout his films; laughter, tears, hope and joy. And that remarkable experience is what going to the movies is really all about.
