WANDER DARKLY

Sienna Miller     Diego Luna     Beth Grant

     Wander Darkly is an apt title in that viewing it is like wandering darkly throughout the course of the film. I have some inkling of what writer/director Tara Miele is trying to do, but it just doesn’t work—at least not for me.  The constant flashes back and forth between reality and memory became tiresome for me in a short time.

     A young unmarried couple tries to make their alliance work; and it does seem like a sincere effort in their buying a house and having a baby—on purpose, not by accident.  Adrienne (Miller) comes across as insecure, needing constant reassurance from her husband Matteo (Luna).  He doesn’t care much for her mother Patty (Grant), partly because she just doesn’t trust him, but these appear to be problems most couples work through one way or another. Then Adrienne and Matteo are in a car accident.  The whole rest of the movie is watching how they deal with the aftermath.

     Two talented actors, Luna and Miller, ably carry the movie and are convincing in their portrayals.  Supporting actors—who primarily have cameo roles—are likewise good in being plausible and moving the story along.  The best scenes are when Adrienne and Matteo are having heart-to-hearts, with each showing insight into their own behavior.

     Cinematography by Carolina Costa (Suspiria) is especially good in artistically depicting varying scenes of landscapes, seascapes, and hospitals that reflect the changing moods of the story.  

     What detracts from the movie are the constantly recurring scenes of the couple going over and over what happened repetitiously.  The last scenes clarifying what actually happened seem gratuitous and sort of “tacked on” as a way of ending a story that hasn’t held much promise.

 

Wander darkly through this film, only if you have much more imagination than what is presented.

 

Grade:  D                             By Donna R. Copeland

 

A RAINY DAY IN NEW YORK

Timothee Chalamet     Elle Fanning     Liev Schreiber     Jude Law     Diego Luna

Selena Gomez     Rebecca Hall     Cherry Jones

     Completely fanciful.  Woody Allen’s latest film comes straight from his brain—probably on a rainy day in New York.  In the beginning, the dialog, the music, Chalamet’s character—everything is so enigmatic of the creator that it’s hard to put Woody out of the story.  And he still stays for much of the story, but as it gets more and more madcap, he recedes a little bit.

     Two upstate New York college students are off to New York City for her, a budding journalist, to interview a well-known filmmaker about his latest film for the college newspaper.  She is definitely star-struck, and he is simply excited about going back to his hometown to revisit places like MOMA, the Carlton, Restaurant Daniel, and his favorite piano bars.  Allen seems well aware of males in such situations to make her trip his trip.  They head out, happily in love; he greeting the rainy weather as a welcome friend and romantic opportunity.  (One of the things I found hilarious about the movie is the constant rain and characters’ different reactions to it.)

     The differences in their expectations make up the heart of the movie.  Very soon after they arrive, Ashleigh (Fanning) and Gatsby (intended reference), played by Chalamet, are on very different arcs of experience.  As evidence(?) of her southwestern U.S. routes, she is carried along by people she’s impressed with, with little will of her own.  He, being the cosmopolitan New Yorker, is constantly thrown to his own devices, which is de rigueur for him, and he orchestrates his own way, keeping a well balanced eye on who he is.  She loses herself completely in situations; he is constantly aware of who he is wherever he is, even when new experiences come his way.

     Ashleigh confronts a famous film director’s (Schreiber) existential crisis, his writer’s (Law) dealing with marital infidelity, and a film idol’s (Luna) disingenuous flirtation.  Actually, they’re all smitten with Ashleigh—I suppose, to make a point in that it’s almost a cliché now.  She embodies that wish that they all have of a young, beautiful woman who’s always sympathetic and adoring.

     On the other hand, Gatsby deals with not being adored all the time, having to interact with an ex-girlfriend’s little sister (Gomez) who is clearly not impressed with him and apprises him of her sister’s low ratings of him.  When he ends up having to attend his mother’s (marvelous Jones, as you’ve never seen her) hated society bash and he has a real conversation with her, the film gets down to the bottom line of what I think it’s about—which is, biases that separate people on trivial grounds and the importance of going beyond the apparent and digging deeper into situations and people.

     Woody Allen is one of our most gifted filmmakers who is able to attract the best actors, keep his Oscar-winning cinematographer Vittorio Storaro (too many awards to name) on board, and provide music that captures every moment of every scene.  Artistry abounds in every component of his films.  Yet, something has happened that A Rainy Day in New York is met with only mediocre ratings by critics.

     Maybe it’s too much Woody?  His genes are in the story from start to finish, to be sure, and this starts to feel like a tired joke.  And much of the action recalls too many of his previous works.       This is all true.  Beyond that, my personal reaction was against his casting a woman from Arizona as stereotypically naïve/uninformed/rather stupid. Numerous jokes about non-New York people were made as if anyone outside New York City is naïve at best and uneducated and uncouth at worst—all reflecting the old joke that New Yorkers don’t recognize anything beyond its borders.   

 

Ya have to be a Woody Allen fan to enjoy this movie; otherwise, you may be nonplussed unimpressed, or even offended.

 

Grade:  C+                                    By Donna R. Copeland

IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK

Kiki Lane     Stephen James     Regina King     Diego Luna     Brian Tyree Henry     Dave Franco

     Ah, yes, if Beale Street could talk, what a tale it would tell—I mean tales.  Based on a novel by the highly respected James Baldwin, novelist and social activist (Notes of a Native Son), and directed by Barry Jenkins (who also wrote the screenplay), who won the Best Picture Oscar last year for Moonlight, this film is expected to be above the norm.  And in my estimation it is.

     The story is about an appealing, warm-hearted family forced by others’ mistakes to face the grim reality many African-American people face—that of being wrongly convicted of a crime.  The main character is young, bright, unassuming Tish (Lane); the story is about the troubles she faces when her just as innocent boyfriend Fonny (James) is identified as the rapist of a Puerto Rican woman.  Never mind that he has a verified alibi and lives far away from the scene of the crime, which occurred in the dark—he is identified as the perpetrator in a line-up.  (Although research has long shown the unreliability of eyewitness identifications, many police departments continue to use it.  

     Early in the story, we see the fundamental bond that has developed between two kids from childhood, and see it blossom into a passionate romance that has more gentleness ingrained in it than in any other I’ve seen in a film.  Prospects look great; Fonny will try to make it as an artist in woodworking, and Tish will work in a department store, and they will find an apartment (after some frustrations) to their liking. Then, out of the blue, we are dealing with the accusation tainted with much of the corruption in law enforcement and judicial processes that we’re all familiar with by this time.

     Barry Jenkins has proven himself as a significant American filmmaker, who works with a core team [Nicholas Britell, music; James Laxton, cinematography; Joi McMillon and Nat Sanders, editing; and Cindy Tolan, costumes) to produce films that are engaging to watch and carry potent social messages.  They’re framed in a way as to elicit as much empathy and understanding of the issues as possible, without alienating (if possible) skeptics.

     The movie is fast-paced except when it’s properly lingering over emotional scenes, presents a clear history of the characters—including their families—and maintains an air of mystery and suspense.  My one question while viewing it was why a mother, rather than a lawyer, went to Puerto Rico to find a woman.  The final scene in that encounter shows a need for professional interrogation, but finances were likely a factor.

A very successful film in eliciting your interest and outrage.

Grade:  A                                    By Donna R. Copeland

BLOOD FATHER

Mel Gibson     Erin Moriarty     Diego Luna     William H. Macy     Michael Parks

               In a taut drama with a predictable story line, Mel Gibson stars as an ex-con trying to clean up his act when his missing teenage daughter turns up, desperately needing his help.  She got in with the wrong crowd, and asks him to help her get away from ruthless pursuers.  The man loves his daughter and wants to make up for his past mistakes, so he risks parole violations and goes on the run with her.  He calls in chips from people who owe him favors both in and outside prison, and it’s clear he still has the respect of his underworld contacts.

        French director Jean-Francois Richet mixes together eye-catching action with character development and good cinematography (Robert Gantz).  Screenwriters Peter Craig and Andrea Berloff based the story on Craig’s same titled novel.  (Craig is the son of actress Sally Field, and is known for other screenplays, including The Town and parts 1 and 2 of The Hunger Games:  Mockingjay, and has a producing role in this film).  Although it’s not vividly original, the story is engaging, and the relationship between father Link (Gibson) and daughter Lydia (Moriarty) is especially interesting in their touching ambivalence toward one another alongside the willingness of each to die for the other. 

          Gibson brings his considerable everything to the role—regret, a sense of loyalty, devotion, fierceness, paternalism, and fearlessness—perhaps as a way of reflecting his real-life wish to be forgiven for unpopular press he has received.  His character in this film always has a back-up plan in place.  Moriarty has shown her skills in Captain Fantastic recently in a coquettish role that she uses here, but mixes with an array of decisive actions such as courage, assertiveness, and willingness to fight for what she wants or feels responsibility for.  We will likely be seeing a lot more of her in her ability to take on different personas.  Macy is another actor who is inevitably good in character roles, and he makes a convincing AA sponsor who genuinely cares about his difficult charge, Link.  We don’t see much of Diego Luna, but his supporting role is significant.

          Blood Father is violent, appropriately receiving an R rating, but the brutality is not extended or appearing nonsensical; i.e., not violence for violence’ sake. 

An action thriller with some heart and character development.

Grade:  B                                    By Donna R. Copeland