THE DEAD DON'T DIE

Bill Murray     Adam Driver     Steve Buscemi     Danny Glover     Selena Gomez

Rosie Perez     Iggy Pop     Chloe Sevigny     Tilda Swinton     Tom Waits     Carol Kane

     Normally, I love Jim Jarmusch films (Only Lovers Left Alive, Paterson, Coffee and Cigarettes, e.g.), but although The Dead Don’t Die starts out rather interesting—primarily because of the characters introduced and the wry humor—but when the zombies arrive…and stay on and on…the script becomes repetitive and surprisingly boring, even though the low-key humor is still sprinkled liberally throughout.

     The most entertaining part of the movie is the group of small-town Centerville characters that include Chief of Police Robertson (Murray), his deputy Ronnie Peterson (Driver), hermit Bob (Waits), farmer Miller (Buscemi), and hardware store owner Hank (Glover); but the standout is Zelda Winston (Swinton), the Samurai sword wielding funeral director of the Ever After Funeral Home and computer expert.  

     All is quiet and the usual peaceful in Centerville until strange things start happening.  It stays light more than usual, electronics don’t work like they’re supposed to, the same song keeps playing on the radio…and then zombies start appearing and proliferating, doing their thing. 

     It seems to be a well-known fact of zombie lore that to rid yourself of a zombie, you must “kill the head.”  Zelda has nothing to fear when she goes outside because of her unfailing aim. Ronnie is the only other one to have had some training in the past, but he can also wield a sword effectively. Robertson is good at blasting heads with a shotgun.  So how will it all turn out when zombies—even those recently departed—start appearing everywhere?  To quote Ronnie, “This is all gonna end badly”, but is he right?  Will everything turn out OK?  With some prompting, Robertson reassures dispatcher Mindy Morrison (Sevigny) of just that.

     Writer/director Jarmusch’s intention may be to highlight the narrator, who happens to be the hermit Bob.  From his comments on what he observes through his binoculars, we get the impression that Bob is fully informed about what is going on in the world—including in nature—and comes to certain conclusions.  He makes pronouncements from time to time that could be seen as a commentary about contemporary society, with its penchant for material acquisitions at the expense of environmental and humane values.  

     Which prompts us to ask,  “Are we the people the zombies of today who have the potential to kill off whole species—including our own—because of misplaced desires?  If so, does Jarmusch mean that “the head” must be dealt with for us to save ourselves?

     This is a film that doesn’t seem to amount to much on the surface, but thoughtful reflection may turn up seeds of wisdom.

Not your usual zombie move, but one that provides food for thought.

Grade:  C+                                    By Donna R. Copeland

THE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO

Jimmie Fails     Jonathan Majors     Tichina Arnold     Rob Morgan

Danny Glover     Jamal Trulove     Mike Epps     Finn Witrock

     You will be surprised when you go see this film; it is oozing with creativity from start to finish.  It felt to me like I was captured by a painting set to music, luckily for me, there is someone close by who tells me a story about it.  

     Opening scenes give full vent to the music by Emile Mosseri (modern brass sounds at first, then Greek and operatic choruses and popular tunes later) and cinematography by Adam Newport (stunning portraits of 19^thcentury houses with the sea as a backdrop, and later with close-ups of expressive faces and other captivating scenes).  Two young men wait for a bus that may not arrive while they listen skeptically to a street preacher.  The script blithely trips along as it wends its way along the streets of San Francisco, occasionally with tinges of nostalgia, but mostly with the bustling of teeming humanity and sometimes jeering clutches of black men jiving with each other under a shade tree.  

     The two men waiting for the bus, Jimmie and Mont, play the two leads in the film, expertly rendered by Jimmie Fails and Jonathan Majors.  They make cynical, half funny observations of what is going on around them, with most of their focus being on a particular house that Jimmie says was built by his grandfather.  He and his parents lived there, but had to leave abruptly and the family split up, with Jimmie being sent to a home.  Mont draws scenes and people around him continuously with the intention of writing a play.  Jimmie maintains a sense of ownership toward the house, even taking it upon himself to do minor handyman jobs and making plans for the garden—to the dismay of the white woman living there.  

     Until one day, it becomes obvious that the house is empty.  Jimmie sees this as a dream come true, and he and Mont settle into it on the assumption that it will be their home.  As the story proceeds, it becomes imminently clear that Jimmie is a dreamer and that the house carries such a weight of symbolic meaning for him, that he will pursue it regardless of anything else.  This seems to be the crux of the film: Dreams that, as impossible as they may appear, can sustain a person—and someone close to him—through all kinds of obstacles.  As viewers, we latch on as well, and become comfortable in the house.

     The metaphor of a dream extends to the images of waiting on a bus that may or may not come.  Does one continue to wait patiently, or take it upon oneself to skateboard to the destination? Either way, the dream may still live on.

     Along with its many qualities, The Last Black Man in San Francisco goes against stereotype by depicting two black men who are gentle in spirit and in deed.  No matter what is going on in the film, when they are in a scene, it is peaceful and relaxed.  Well, except for times of extreme frustration, when feelings may be vented violently, but on a skateboard.  The connection between the men continues as a puzzle—it’s unclear exactly the nature of their relationship—which is another aspect that keeps us engaged, to the film’s credit in its expertise of intrigue and ambiguity.

     How much do I love this film?  I think you can guess that I am entirely smitten with its broad expanse of artistic representation of the human condition and our urban environment, its visual and auditory pleasures, its commentary about dreams, and a unique view of homelessness that is unmatched.

Very likely to be my best film of the year for its sheer creativity mixed with realism.

Grade:  A                                                By Donna R. Copeland

THE OLD MAN & THE GUN

Robert Redford     Casey Affleck     Sissy Spacek     Danny Glover

Tom Waits     Keith Carradine     Tika Sumpter     Elizabeth Moss

     Charming, but incorrigible, Forrest Tucker’s sociopathic personality comes through when he meets a woman in a diner, and quickly wins her trust.  The woman is Jewel (Spacek), a lover of the simple life, horses, and the rolling fields surrounding her property.  He is evasive when she asks his name and what he does for a living, and he gives her his real name, which, at this point, is not broadcast in the stories about him, and finally lets her know that instead of “makin’ a livin’”, he believes in “livin’”.  It’s obvious that he has an admirable way of blending together truth and fiction into a believable story.  And like many who encounter Forrest, many suspect he is lying, but it doesn’t seem to bother them…because he’s so nice!

     The truth is that Forrest is a bank robber who has been imprisoned and escaped 16 times, beginning when he was just a kid.  It’s noteworthy that all the tellers who get robbed describe him as “such a gentleman”, “very polite”, a “nice-enough fellow”, and “happy.” He’s always well dressed and charming, encouraging them, and thanking them for accommodating him.  He and his pals, Teddy (Glover) and Waller (Waits), manage to get away with thousands of dollars.  They’re in the news, and even the police shake their heads, finding it preposterous that these old men are so capable.  

     Detective John Hunt (Affleck) is the beleaguered policeman charged with apprehending Tucker.  Although he seems to be as obsessed with being a good policeman as Tucker is about being a good robber, he is different in his self-doubts and struggles with his occupation.  His wife and superiors give him room to quit the force, but he determinedly stays on.  Even when the FBI intrudes itself into the case and he has a chance to step back, he doesn’t. Then he gets a tip that tells him exactly who Forrest Tucker is.

     Robert Redford pulls off this role in his usual expert fashion; probably no one else would be up to his personal aptness and level of skill.  It’s rewarding to see Sissy Spacek again in a role that suits her to a T as well.  Finally, Casey Affleck likewise performs as the kind of brooding character he has done so well in other films.  Danny Glover and Tom Waits make great sidekicks for the Redford character.  I was a bit disappointed there is not one of Tom Waits’ songs in the music.  Elizabeth Moss has a wonderful cameo at the end.  In a way, this film reminded me of David Mackenzie and Taylor Sheridan’s Hell or High Water in the nobility of the robber, but it kept up a level of excitement and humor a little more than is the case for this film.

     The script for The Old Man & the Gunis based on a true story, which was written up for The New Yorker Magazine by David Grann, who subsequently penned the script for this film.  Grann has a way of capturing his audience’s interest and maintaining suspense in his writing, just as he did for The Lost City of Z, The Devil and Sherlock Holmes, and Killers of the Flower Moon:  The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI.  In Director David Lowery’s capable hands, the movie becomes worthy of Robert Redford’s distinguished reputation in filmmaking, and a fitting tribute if it is indeed his last acting role.  Daniel Hart’s lyrical, moving score puts finishing touches on this fine production.

Charm is the name of the game in this engaging, suspenseful story.

Grade:  B+                                              By Donna R. Copeland

SORRY TO BOTHER YOU

Lakeith Stanfield     Tessa Thompson     Armie Hammer     Terry Crews     

Danny Glover     Steven Yeun     Jermaine Fowler     Omari Harwick

     “Sorry to bother you” starts out with a telemarketer’s spiel to customers. Cassius Green (Stanfield) has to learn to stay on script and adopt a “white voice” so he will be successful and be promoted to “Power Caller.”  Cassius is starting out at the bottom, living in his uncle’s garage with his artist girlfriend Detroit (Thompson), where he is behind on his rent and driving a beat-up car given to him by the same uncle.  He has to make it at this job, not only to survive but just as much to preserve what little self esteem he has left.

     He is naïve, and you wonder how he is going to make it at all, but he gets advice and encouragement from fellow workers like Langston (Glover) who clues him into adopting a white voice, Squeeze (Yeun) who is organizing a union, his friend Salvador (Fowler), and others.  Indeed, he does well and is promoted with much fanfare.  

     But there’s a mysterious air around the Power Caller work site situated beyond double gold elevator doors, and things get increasingly bizarre, starting off with the strange woman orienting him (note that she has to punch in about 50 numbers to get the elevator to rise—an example of the many clever little comedic frills inserted by writer-director Boots Riley).  Suddenly, Cassius has a new elegant apartment and car, and he gets completely preoccupied with his job, which is making increasing demands upon him.

     This is where the movie turns really bizarre and presses on into the macabre. The head of the company, Steve Lift (Hammer), takes notice of Cassius, and invites him to his office with an offer almost impossible to refuse.  He simply has to commit for a certain period of time and agree to participate in the Worry Free company’s treatments and he will get a ginormous salary.  Worry Free has devised a way to make employees much more productive and submissive.  (The company won’t have to worry any more about the labor protests wreaking havoc in the city of Oakland at this moment.)  What helps Cassius make up his mind is what he encounters when he enters the wrong door to the men’s restroom. What he finds there is a preview of the ultimate outcome of Worry Free’s venture.

     I found the story rather ho-hum in the beginning, as I could envision what Cassius was getting himself into, recognizing a kind of hope that is more than likely to turn into disillusionment.  The reason it is so easy to spot is the apt metaphors Boots Riley uses to depict the seduction of capitalistic companies that have little regard for humankind and quality of life.  I think about all those who have bought into corporate enticements only to discover there is a price they hadn’t expected.  (I got a special kick out of Lift’s promise that the “treatment” results in a huge organ--guess which one).  Riley creates a concrete example of the transformation that corporate ascenders experience as they rise up the ladder.  Of course, there is a message here that only some of us will appreciate.

     Sorry to Bother You gives us a picture of the enticements of a kind of capitalism that is oblivious to human needs but is extremely seductive for the few who can actually reap huge benefits from it. It serves as a counterpart to Jordan Peele’s Get Out, in its references to genetic experimentation with individuals in the service of ulterior, selfish, and misguided interests.

Rescuing hope that’s on the road to disillusionment.

Grade:  B+                                    By Donna R. Copeland

MONSTER TRUCKS

Lucas Till     Jane Levy     Rob Lowe     Danny Glover     Barry Pepper

          For a completely fantastical (i.e., unrealistic) experience, go see Monster Trucks.  The story is predictable, with a teenage boy named Tripp (Till) taunted by a rude classmate; ignored by his irresponsible father; disdained by his mother’s boyfriend, Sheriff Rick (Pepper); thwarted by evil corporation Terravex headed by Reece Tenneson (Lowe); and pursued by a pretty tutor named Meredith (Levy), a science geek. 

          When Terravex ignores environmental risks in drilling for oil, observed by one of their scientists, it proceeds to drill anyway, which disturbs the habitat of a species new to science.  One, named “Creature” by Tripp, escapes the company’s creature catcher and makes its appearance at the teen’s job in a wreck yard.  After brief transactions, Tripp decides the creature is smart and friendly, and he makes a friend of it.  It helps that Creature has social sensibilities and is affectionate.  This friend will do amazing things for Tripp, including navigating a monster truck MacGyverred by Tripp from one of the junkyard trucks. 

          Meredith is trying desperately to have a tutoring session with Tripp, and since she is smart and curious, she tries to help him figure out how to protect Creature and build his longed-for truck at the same time.  She offers scientific facts that are helpful to Tripp and provides a place for him to work undisturbed.  He’s a pretty clueless kid, and is so preoccupied with his project he doesn’t even notice when he starts to fall in love with her in a day or so.

         What follows is a series of car chases involving more monsters in trucks pursued by the sheriff (Tripp’s stepfather) and the evil creature catcher.  Powered by Creature, the truck can leap over buildings and trains, go through narrow alleys by making its sides climb partway up the walls, and go for days without sustenance (which is oil, by the way). 

       There is an inherent contradiction in a story that is supposed to be ecologically sympathetic—that is, that the monsters’ primary food is oil, and the featured trucks are gas-guzzling monsters themselves.  So much for ecology and the preservation of animal habitats.

          One of my pet peeves in movies about teenagers is that the actors are frequently too old to be plausible for that age.  It’s a bit ludicrous to see Tripp (played by an actor 26-27 years old) sitting in his old truck acting out scenes of a truck driver shifting gears with all the sound effects of gunning motors, brake screeching, etc.  Actress Jane Levy—his girlfriend—is even older.  There are hundreds of talented teenage actors; so why moviemakers employ 20 and 30 year-olds to be teenagers doesn’t make sense.  Another inconsistency in the story is the abrupt shift in the character of the sheriff from a cold, derisive grown-up with no respect for Tripp in the beginning, to his suddenly being a helpful father figure in the end.  We’re given no explanation for this transition.

       The primary flaw in this production is a script (by Derek Connolly and Matthew Robinson) that is nonsensical and not readily identified for any age group.  Although visually it appears to be for very young children, much of the narrative will go over their heads and bore them.  Despite a big budget, the producers and Director Chris Wedge were not able to mold the project into a meaningful, entertaining whole.

Someone thought that trucks powered by monsters to look like monster trucks would be a clever premise.

Grade:  D                                    By Donna R. Copeland

COMPLETE UNKNOWN

Rachel Weisz   Michael Shannon   Azita Ghanizada   Kathy Bates   Danny Glover

             This is one of the most interesting, intriguing studies of identity and attachment issues that I’ve seen.  There are movies about “split personalities” and multiple personality disorder based on the unconscious, but this is different in that Alice/Jenny (Weisz) is consciously changing her name, who she is, and her history, seemingly on a whim.  Or perhaps it’s when she starts feeling trapped (an attachment issue).  She describes an experience of getting to a “blank space” in her identity that feels like a high just before she decides who she’ll be next. 

            Transforming identities becomes a theme throughout Complete Unknown (a title that may refer to a Bob Dylan song, “Like a Rolling Stone”*).  For instance, when Tom (Shannon) meets Alice for the first time, she appears to be someone else; the name on a birthday cake is misspelled; and there is a sequence in which two people misidentify who they are completely in a game-like way.  At a party, some have fun altering biographical details, whereas others see it simply as lying and become incensed at the notion of doing so.  For myself, I find some humor in it, but admit that I found it unsettling in the beginning of the film when we see the Weisz character in shifting locations, appearances, and surroundings.  Someone’s identity is so central, we get disoriented when they become something like the shape changers in mythology.

            Tom is in business with his brother and is married to Ramina (Ghanizada), a talented jewelry designer who has been accepted into a designing school in California.  Tom is clearly feeling torn about venturing out of his comfort zone (home and profession) and launching a different life in California.  He’s having a hard time even discussing it with his wife, and is clearly hoping the dilemma will magically disappear. 

            When Alice appears unexpectedly at a party and he discovers that she blithely changes her identity at will, he is impatient and judgmental (with some justification, as we see), even horrified.  But he is also intrigued, and keeps pressing her for more details.  Then, when an unexpected situation arises, and she playfully pulls him into a game of pretend, he begins to see a possibility that never occurred to his practical mind before, which will prompt an important transformational change in himself.

            Complete Unknown could be seen as a light, entertaining movie that is just for fun.  But writer with Julian Sheppard and director Joshua Marston have something in mind that is more substantive, having to do with taking risks to fulfill one’s potential, or to escape untenable circumstances, or to explore the concepts of identity and personality, and, finally, to address the ethical questions and controversy that arise when people “mess” with something that some regard as God-given, e.g., taking different personas at will, or—more topical—changing gender. 

Don’t miss the humor and substance of this absorbing film.

Grade:  A                                    By Donna R. Copeland

*How does it feel

To be on your own

With no direction home

Like a complete unknown

Like a rolling stone

Dylan, B. (2004). Bob Dylan Lyrics 1962–2001. Simon & Schuster. pp. 167–168. ISBN 0-7432-2827-8.