CRUELLA

 Emma Stone     Mark Strong     Emma Thompson     Joel Fry     Paul Walter     Emily Beecham

            It’s hard to see this as anything but horrible.  We have the tired old theme of two women fighting with one another using underhanded means.  OK, but not only that, the whole exercise is set up to make room for the next installment, which is, probably, further manifestations of the same cat fight.

            Little semblance of creativity in the script can be found in this production; the underlying theme is that women are devious and cold-hearted.  Traits in the first evil woman, the baroness (Thompson), are sure to be found in her abused (aren’t all her attendants abused?) assistant, Estella (Stone).  

            I realize there have been reincarnations of the Cruella character for years, from the time she first appeared in Dodie Smith’s novel in 1956 (The One Hundred and One Dalmations) through numerous appearances in Disney productions ever since, the latest one in 2000 (102 Dalmations), when Cruella was portrayed by Glenn Close.  I’m puzzled about the public’s fascination with these movies—which are always popular—until I realize that they are tapping into a fundamental belief in the concept of women.

            Setting that aside, I have to say that the director Craig Gillespie’s previous films (I, Tonya, Lars and the Real Girl) are ones I’ve loved for their demonstration of psychological acuity and empathy.  Maybe there is something I’m missing, but I don’t see any of that here. 

            All of that said, Emma Thompson and Emma Stone give outstanding performances that display bravado and formidable talent.  Mark Strong, Joel Fry, and Paul Walter Hauser add many of the soulful and comedic twists that move the story along.  The costumes (Jenny Beavan) are extraordinary and form the essence of what part of the story is about and whatever creativity is found in the film.  The music of Nicholas Britell is so much a part of the story, it is essential to its production.

 

A movie that is bound to please, but begs the question about how women function in society today.

 

Grade:  C                              By Donna R. Copeland

THE FAVOURITE

Olivia Colman     Rachel Weisz     Emma Stone

James Smith     Mark Gatiss     Nicholas Hoult     Joe Alwyn

     I must confess, I did not love The Favourite.  It is easy to discern why others are entertained, but I tired of the portrayal of a moody, whimsical queen so easily led on by her ladies in waiting.  Most refreshing in the story are her sudden flashes of insight on occasion that take her subjects—particularly these very ladies—by surprise.  But I tired of their duplicitous fawning while concealing their own driving ambitions for power. It reminds me too much of the typical perception of women in power being easily duped, often by close [female] associates.

     The production, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos based on a screenplay by Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara, is a farce about the royal court in 18^thCentury British aristocracy when Queen Anne (Colman) reigned, at first with the private counsel of her “lady of the bedchamber”, Sarah Churchill (Weisz), Duchess of Marlborough.  In this story, the Duchess wields considerable political power, along with her husband, the Duke of Marlborough charged with directing the army. 

     Enter a relative of the Duchess, Abigail (Stone), who has fallen upon hard times, and being intelligent, educated, and ambitious, she begins to maneuver her way into court.  Sarah is well schooled in handling intruders, and immediately puts her in her place. What she doesn’t anticipate is an equal capable of challenging her and winning over the queen.  What follows is a battle of wits between the two women and the unpredictability of the Queen’s favor.  

     Right off the bat, the three actresses, Colman, Weisz, and Stone, prove their considerable talents and carry the film.  Colman perfectly captures a person in charge who only sporadically wields her power, while being susceptible to flattery, attention, and physical comfort.  She can whine with the best of them and then turn on a dime and exert autocratic power.  Weisz plays the most interesting character in her blending of political knowledge, skill in the art of manipulation, and an apparent genuine caring.  Stone does a great portrayal of an interloper who knowingly scans the territory, assesses where different powers lie, and can convey sincerity without warmth.  These actresses are already being slated for nominations and have actually received awards for their performances.

     Clearly The Favourite will be a 2018 favorite, maybe even more so than Lanthimos’ previous films that were hits, The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer, both of which I loved. My problem with this film is as I stated above, is that it is a little too pat in portraying women’s records of power and their relationships with one another.  It turns out that whereas earlier accounts of Queen Mary’s reign emphasized her illnesses and other weaknesses, subsequent historians have given her more credibility.  She attended more cabinet meetings than those who came before or after her; more artistic literary, economic, and political advancements were made during her reign; and she supported the union of England and Scotland, which became Europe’s largest free trade area at the time.  No weak willed Nellie she.  It’s something of a pity that she is portrayed so weak in a 20^thCentury film.

For a romp in an 18^th Century royal court where intrigue is rampant and women compete for power, go see The Favourite.

Grade:  B                                    By Donna R. Copeland

BATTLE OF THE SEXES

Emma Stone     Steve Carell     Andrea Riseborough     Sarah Silverman     Bill Pullman     Alan Cumming     Elisabeth Shue

      This was a full-blown battle, made more public by the macho boasting of Bobby Riggs for weeks beforehand.  It was a contest with a winner-take-all prize of $100,000.  By the time the match between him and Billie Jean King took place, they had an audience of 50 million in the U.S. and 90 million worldwide, with 30,472 present in the Houston Astrodome.  King was passionate in proving that women’s tennis was just as important/entertaining/professional as men’s, and that they should be paid the same.  Male chauvinism was common in the 1970’s, so men were aghast that women should expect such a thing, saying men were stronger, faster, and better than women who were weaker and “couldn’t stand the pressure.” 

     All this seemed to spur King on even more; she was still stinging from Jack Kramer’s (a former tennis star and radio commentator, smoothly played by Bill Pullman) banning women from a major tournament when they demanded to be paid on the same scale as the men.  Later, when Riggs and ABC wanted Jack to be the commentator for the Riggs/King match, King protested, and threatened to withdraw from the contest unless they hired someone else, reasoning that Jack did not believe in women’s tennis.  “Either he goes—or I go.”  She got her way.

     The match is filmed extremely well by cinematographer Linus Sandgren, starting out slower so each lob is carefully shown, and gradually speeding it up to real time, and the music is well chosen by Nicholas Britell.  With a filmography that includes movies about Red Hot Chili Peppers, R.E.M., and Smashing Pumpkins, the directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris likely had some informed input for the music as well.  Although I enjoyed the music immensely, it was often too loud for my ears, overpowering the drama and dialog.

     Emma Stone and Steve Carell demonstrate their considerable talent in portraying two colorful characters.  Carell’s Bobby is as obnoxious and full of himself as he is supposed to be, which is in stark contrast to Carell as I’ve seen him in real life.  I was especially moved by King as she is shown in the film and beautifully exemplified by Stone; always dignified, magnanimous enough to initiate the arms-around-the-shoulders exit at the end of the match, and keeping her cool amidst rude taunts and tense negotiations. 

     There were a couple of scenes that made me shake my head (a last-minute hair fix just before the major event and Billie Jean King by herself at the end of the match), and sure enough, these seem to be Hollywood elaborations on the real story.  They are unnecessary veneers to a story that is already sufficient in itself.

Battle of the Sexes exemplifies the ongoing struggle between males and females, but in an entertaining manner.

Grade:  B                                    By Donna R. Copeland

LA LA LAND

Ryan Gosling     Emma Stone     J.K. Simmons     John Legend     Rosemarie DeWitt     Finn Wittrock

          Would you like to visit an adult fantasyland for a couple of hours?  This movie will take you there with its entertaining and still meaningful script (by Director Damien Chazelle), its captivating, artistically presented cinematography by Linus Sandgren, songs and score composed and orchestrated by Justin Hurwitz, and two very fine actors (Gosling and Stone) who can sing and dance up a storm as well as act.   The talent going into making the film is truly impressive.  It is mostly light entertainment, but makes insightful points about choosing a career and whether or not to stick with original plans.  It also represents a contemporary dilemma for couples whose jobs take them in opposite directions.  I loved the playful ending’s toying with us by presenting alternatives from which we can choose.

        Sebastian (Gosling) and Mia (Stone) seem destined to meet, after a hostile encounter on the jammed freeway, a chance meeting in a club, and a party.  They spar with one another, then dance together on a hilltop overlooking the twinkling lights of Los Angeles, and before long, they’re ambivalently hooked.  I say ambivalent because their first date to a classic movie, Rebel without a Cause, is just “for research.” 

        At this point, Sebastian is a struggling jazz pianist who takes a purist stance about the genre, and is finding it hard to get and keep a job.  Mia goes to one disheartening audition after another, in one of which the producer interrupts a gripping emotional sequence to take a phone call, then dismisses her.  (I understand this was based on an experience Gosling actually had.)

       As their romance heats up, both get career opportunities.  Sebastian is invited to join a combo run by his old college friend Keith (Legend), and Mia writes a one-woman screenplay.  But after a time, they find they’re not spending much time together, primarily because Sebastian has joined the combo and is often away touring.  They have arguments and misunderstandings, although during the course of these, each one provides valuable counsel to the other.  She encourages him to follow his life’s dream of owning his own jazz club; he boosts her confidence by encouraging her to continue to pursue writing and acting. 

    We never know how things are going to turn out, but throughout the story their intermittent  songs and dances are electric (choreography is by Mandy Moore).  In these onstage performances, Gosling and Stone are so smooth they appear to have worked together for years, but this is only their third time to act together, and the first time in a musical. 
     And BTW, that's Gosling actually playing the piano; not a double or CGI.  

La La Land is magical in its fantasy and in the artistry of all involved in the production.

Grade:  A                                    By Donna R. Copeland

IRRATIONAL MAN

 Joaquin Phoenix     Emma Stone     Parker Posey

Abe (Phoenix) is a very good but disconsolate philosophy professor who teaches summer classes at a university lecturing on rational arguments about different approaches to understanding life.  It’s a bit surprising then when he comes up with an irrational plan for solving a problem that is not even his own.  Nevertheless, this plan gives meaning to his life, and he immediately becomes purposeful and even ebullient; hence, the title of the film, Irrational Man.

           Right from the start, it’s troubling to see Abe continually drinking booze from a flask in his pocket.  He is known as a controversial figure from his published works and his lectures.  When he is aggressively pursued by colleague Rita (Posey), he easily gives in, although depression keeps him from performing up to his ideal.  He holds off on another crush from a student, Jill (Stone), as long as he can, insisting simply on friendship; but she is also persistent, and he succumbs to her as well.  One day, she gets caught up in a conversation going on in the restaurant booth next to them, and has him come closer so he can hear.  From this brief snippet of information, Abe comes up with his plan.

           Writer/director Woody Allen often comes up with moral dilemmas (e.g., Crimes and Misdemeanors, Magic in the Moonlight, Match Point), as a way of telling a story; this one, like some of his others, having to do with murder.  He is careful to set the stage so that the act has a certain degree of justice and righteousness to it.  Allen’s interest also seems to be in illustrating the self-righteousness of academics and women’s naiveté, and sometimes lack of a moral compass. 

           Phoenix captures the moody philosopher’s role, and easily transitions to the man who has come up with an answer that satisfies his need to help someone in trouble and vent his anger toward the system.  Stone is just as good at playing a bright young woman who is able to challenge an older intellectual by asking probing questions and having a mind of her own.  Posey carries off a devil-may-care attitude in going after what she thinks will save her from life in a rut.

           Irrational Man is light fare, but becomes interesting in its twists and suspense during the last half of the feature.

An irrational plan to relieve an existential crisis.

Grade:  B                         By Donna R. Copeland