STAN & OLLIE

John C. Reilly     Steve Coogan     Shirley Henderson     Nina Arianda     Danny Huston     Rufus Jones

     Laurel & Hardy were a sensation beginning in the ‘20’s, faded a bit in the ‘40’s, and then had a comeback in the ‘50’s.  Their act was an old-time slapstick comedy, with each being a buffoon or a straight man in turn.  But Stan & Ollie is less about their act and more about the relationship between them during their long association, which survived when their other relationships did not, necessarily.

     In the film, we see them working, amiable and jostling together as they dream up their act.  Stan Laurel was the writer, and his work got them started on planning an act.  As time goes on and, as in all relationships, previously overlooked feelings start surfacing.  It gets more complicated as their wives join them on their last tour through Europe, ending in London.  Hardy’s wife is the traditional American wife, nurturing and ever mindful of her husband’s welfare.  Laurel’s wife is more cosmopolitan and has had something of a career as a dancer.  Her acerbic personality provides more entertainment in its contrast with the American conception of the “ideal” wife.

     The casting by Andy Pryor is right on.  John C. Reilly, in his usual “nailed it” mode, shows Ollie as someone who looks like he doesn’t know much and is a buffoon underneath, but actually shows a kind of intelligence that complements the Laurel character’s creativity. Steve Coogan likewise shows both sides of the buffoon-smart character.  Each deals with the business of entertainment in very different ways, and each is successful in his own way, although they don’t necessarily fit together in a negotiation.  Best to leave them negotiating on their own.

     I especially enjoyed the wives.  Shirley Henderson is a staple in British theatre and television, reliable in projecting color and meaning into a story.  Nina Arianda similarly gives movies she’s in a special punch. The writer (Jeff Pope) and director (Jon S. Baird) wisely use the two wives to illuminate the personas of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy.

     The kind of comedy Laurel & Hardy embody is not especially appealing to me, but I found this account of their association compelling and moving.

Laurel and Hardy as Stan and Ollie in their private lives.

Grade:  C+                                    By Donna R. Copeland

RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET

Voices of:  John C. Reilly     Sarah Silverman     Gal Gadot     Jack McBrayer

Jane Lynch     Alan Tudyk     Tariji P. Henson     Alfred Molina

     If you love animation and you don’t mind the shameless plugging of Disney, you are likely to enjoy this film.  Ralph (Reilly) and Vanellope (Silverman) remain fast friends, and have discussions about their attitudes toward their lives, such as that Ralph is completely happy and Vanellope finds day-to-day a little boring.  Racing is easy peasy (she has only three tracks now), although she still enjoys it.  After a bit of thought, Ralph is sure he can make her life more exciting by building a new track for her.  He does, and although it’s a bit dangerous, Vanellope is thrilled.  

     When they go into the Litwik Arcade, they discover that a player of Sugar Crush has broken the steering wheel trying to keep up with Vanellope’s rough ride. Now there’s a crisis, because a) a new one costs more than the game earns in a year; and b) the company has gone out of business so there’s no way to order a new part.  But wait!  Someone has heard of eBay (a name Ralph has trouble remembering, wanting to call it “eBoy”), and has found a new steering wheel for sale.   Neither of them is familiar with the internet, which has just gotten connected in the arcade, so the two sneak past the yellow ribbons barring entry and come upon the wondrous site of the internet.

     This is even glorious for the viewer to behold.  Disney has created a physical representation of the internet that captures the color and endless activities it contains, even including pop-up ads, pop-up blockers, and spam (owned by the Spamley family). (All of which is especially appreciated by adult viewers.)  Ralph and Vanellope find eBay without much trouble, and see the coveted steering wheel on auction.  Since they’ve never attended an auction, though, the two will learn a hard lesson from their mistakes here.  And learning that lesson will take them into adventures and eventually a test of their close friendship.

     In their efforts to earn enough money to buy the steering wheel, Vanellope is introduced to Shank (Gadot) and her thrilling Slaughter Race.  Ralph is introduced to internet social media a la Instagram, BuzzFeed, Tumblr, and Twitter, and becomes a hit guided by Yesss (Henson) of BuzzFeed.  By posting entertaining videos of himself doing all kinds of bizarre things (the more bizarre the better), he starts earning hearts that can be cashed in.  

     As he begins earning enough money to get the steering wheel, Vanellope has gotten involved in Slaughter Race, and making friends with Shank.  In agonizing scenes thereafter, Ralph and Vanellope will learn about internet viruses that spread from “insecurities” (double entendre here) and shut down games.

     A lot more will happen before they can join each other and even talk about their friendship.  This conversation has the most substance of any sequence in the film.

An entertaining film about the internet with a clever representation, spiked with prominent Disney product placement. 

Grade:  B                                    By Donna R. Copeland

THE SISTERS BROTHERS

John C. Reilly     Joaquin Phoenix     Jake Gyllenhaal     Riz Ahmed     Rutgar Hauer     Carol Kane

     Intelligent western may be an oxymoron to some, but in this case, I think it fits. Director Jacques Adiard directed and co-wrote the screenplay with Thomas Bidegain, based on a novel by Patrick DeWitt.  That Adiard is French, and this is his first English language film, makes it even more impressive, because much of the content has wry humor, references, and interesting emotional connections that ring true for the American setting.

     The film begins with a darkened picture that becomes punctuated with gunfire bursts seen in the dark, the galloping of horses, and finally a house coming into view, with gunmen killing everyone they see, apparently cold-heartedly (cinematographer Benoit Debie created this striking opening scene.)  The two gunmen doing the damage are Eli Sisters (Reilly) and his younger brother Charlie (Phoenix).  They work for The Commodore, whom we only get two glimpses of, who has vast international business operations he has to protect. At one point, there is a pertinent argument between the brothers as to whether the people they shot are victims vs. bad guys who have stolen from The Commodore.  This is just one example of the philosophical/social issues subtly discussed among characters.

     Two other characters that will come in contact with the Sisters Brothers are an unlikely pair, in that one, Hermann Kermit Warm (Ahmed), is a chemist (who has a formula for extracting gold from California streams) and the other The Commodore’s effete detective, John Morris (Gyllenhaal), from an upper class background.  The latter has been charged with joining up with the Sisters Brothers to get the formula from the chemist—whatever it takes.  How he got into the job will come out later.

     In introducing these four characters, Adiard plays with the well-known contrasts between the educated and people like the frontier-hardened, skilled sharp shooters.  Tidbits about their backgrounds are inserted from time to time, allowing a more detailed picture of them, in terms of who they are and how they got to where they are. Further information is gleaned from incidents and conversations that occur throughout the film so that, by the end, a plausible account of how this group of four men got together, their backgrounds and personal stories, and how they end up is made clear.  

     The four main actors are stunning in their portrayals of brothers and unlikely connections that are formed for expediencies of the moment.  John C. Reilly, Joaquin Phoenix, and Jake Gyllenhaal can always be relied upon to bring potency and flair to their characters.  Riz Ahmed meshes perfectly with these well-seasoned actors to, likely, assure him of a bright future.

     The film was shot in Spain, but clearly looks like the American northwest. Debie’s cinematography transports the scenes to this country beautifully and convincingly.  Renowned Alexandre Desplat lives up to his reputation for capturing the essence of every scene with his music, and for his first western, he drew on strains of Charlie Mingus’ jazz and Nicholas Cage-type music.  I especially love his quiet piano accompaniment in emotionally charged segments; for instance, in a mother’s home.

     This film has many strengths beyond those mentioned.  Elaborating further, the interactions between the two brothers bring into play sibling rivalry, father issues, family loyalty, and the roles the two have come to own, such as the older Eli feeling and taking responsibility for the younger Charlie, who is more impulsive, more outgoing, more assertive.  But true to life, caretaking roles are switched now and then.  John Morris and Hermann Kermit Warm come together in a conventional way, in the spark created in their first meeting, and then through conversations in which they discover they have shared views about the world and how they might achieve a common goal.

     Another feature of the film that I appreciate is the way violence is portrayed in appealing to more artistic, sensitive tastes rather than eliciting shock through gore.  We are spared one shot and only see the body with a pool of blood on the floor.  Or it’s done in a kind of humorous way, such as an insect crawling inside a mouth and reproducing(!).  

This is a film for those who relish creative productions that can incorporate a modern take on a beloved genre, and still sketch out three-dimensional characters that resonate with most people today.

Grade:  A                                    By Donna R. Copeland

KONG: SKULL ISLAND

Tom Hiddleston   Samuel L. Jackson   Brie Larson   John C. Reilly   John Goodman   Richard Jenkins   Corey Hawkins

       This movie begs the question of why it was made at all.  The story of King Kong has appeared in various media since 1933, when the original film King Kong appeared.  In addition to remakes in 1970 and 2005, there have been countless take-offs of some kind or other ever since.  This tale is not much different from most—a feared, gigantic monster turns out to have a heart after all.  Perhaps it is related to the age-old mythological theme of something that we have feared turns out to be something we treasure.  At any rate, the film also shows very clearly the destructiveness of invading lands that belong to others without even learning something about them before blustering in with guns a-blazing.  This part of the film really hurts those of us who don’t feel entitled to have full rein on the rest of the world.

      Kong casts aspersions on science in the form of Bill Randa (Goodman) who has learned of a hitherto unexplored island in the south Pacific where whole ships and their crew have disappeared.  Now, he presents his proposal for a scientific expedition to his Congressman (Jenkins) who “owes” him.  He sells it with the potential of discovering geological and other information that scientists know nothing about.  In truth, his motives are not so pristine.

       He is granted the funds to go, with—oh, by the way—a military escort.  The war is just ending in Viet Nam, and one character at least, Packard (Jackson), is wondering what on earth he is going to do without a war.  He is only too happy to lead the military escort.  “Thank you”, he says at the end of the phone conversation engaging him in a rather dangerous mission.  He has more than enough hubris to be confident he can take on anything.  The team does have the foresight to recruit an experienced tracker in the wild, James Conrad (Hiddleston), who should be able to get them out of threatening situations.  Because the movie needs a woman, a wartime photographer, [cleverly misleading name of Mason Weaver (Larson)] has applied and is given permission to go along.

       Of course, you know they encounter Kong, King of Skull Island, now 328 feet tall, who snatches helicopters out of the air like they were toys.  But note that this is after the “scientists” have dropped bombs into the terrain to ascertain its makeup.  Not only does this bring out Kong, who is trying to protect his island, but other much more sinister creatures.

Cinematography (Larry Fong) and special effects are impressive, but scenes of fighting with the monsters go on far too long, with too many characters rapidly flitting on and off the screen to keep track of.   Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts and editor Richard Pearson could have easily trimmed the two-hour production and/or focused on more character development.  Back-stories of the main characters would help us care more about them and understand their motivations for what they do.

       We do get that for John C. Reilly, a consummate actor for oddball characters.  His story is interesting and (mostly) plausible, and the way he relates to the native humans and animals is interesting as well as admirable.  The roles of Samuel L. Jackson, Tom Hiddleston, and Brie Larson are familiar and ones they do very well.  Jackson is a hardheaded military man with a black-and-white view of the world and people.  Hiddleston is a quiet, modest hero with considerable clout.  Larson acts bravely and speaks out for a feminine point of view in a testosterone-laden story.

If you never tire of the oft-repeated King Kong story, then this one is for you.

Grade:  C-                                    By Donna R. Copeland

SING

Voices of:  Matthew McConaughey   Reese Witherspoon   Seth MacFarlane   Scarlett Johansson   John C. Reilly  

Nick Kroll   Nick Offerman   Leslie Jones   Jennifer Saunders   Rhea Perlman   

Jennifer Hudson   Tori Kelly   Taron Egerton   Garth Jennings   

       The show must go on.  Clever animation and a wealth of songs tell the story of Showman Buster Moon (McConaughey), a koala who has inherited a famous theater from his father, and he is desperately trying to keep it going.  But he has had a number of failed projects and is about to lose it to the bank when he has a great idea for a singing contest. 

          The screwball comedy in the efforts to make it happen include such things as Buster’s secretary Miss Crawley (Jennings) constantly losing her glass eye, which bounces around, landing on the computer keyboard, and making $1,000 into $100,000.  Buster doesn’t find out about this until much later, because as Miss Crawley was carrying a stack of the flyers announcing the contest to show Buster, the whole stack gets blown out the window and scattered by the wind.  Hundreds of flyers all get picked up by aspiring vocalists all around the city in need of cash.

        Sing is animated and all the characters are animals.  There are pigs, elephants, sheep, baboons, giraffes, and an alligator among others, but these are only the main players.  Rosita (Witherspoon) is a housewife pig with 25 kids and an absent-minded husband who takes her for granted.  She is tech-savvy, and creates an automated assembly line at home so she can get out of the house to compete.  Mike (MacFarlane) is a mouse with a Frank Sinatra voice who has a gambling problem, and hence has big brown bears chasing after him for cheating.  Ash (Johansson), a porcupine is part of a duo, but Buster only wants her to sing, wounding her narcissistic partner deeply.  When she gets really into her songs, quills have a tendency to fly out and get stuck in the audience.  Meena (Kelly) is an elephant with a voice, but she is so shy she clams up during a performance, which enrages her “stage-mother” father.  Included is Johnny (Egerton), a gorilla who has great talent for jazz piano, the only problem being that his gangster father wants him to continue to pull off jobs with him.

       When one disaster follows another, and it looks like all is lost, Buster engages the help of his friend Eddie (Reilly) the sheep, who comes from a wealthy family and has a nanna, Nana Noodleman (Hudson and Saunders) who used to perform in operas at Moon’s concert hall.  Buster wants her to sponsor the contest, so invites her to a rehearsal.  Disasters happen, involving all the contestants and those chasing after them, so that it’s doubtful Buster and his hall will survive.

       The primary theme of the film is that everyone involved must pull together to make the show go on, and that fundraising is always something to be dealt with.  Sometimes it also takes boosting the self-confidence of the performer, holding back parents pushing their children inappropriately, and then convincing other parents that their child has talent and needs to be encouraged.

       The film is a bit of a mish-mash in the beginning, and I wonder how many children can appreciate the plot, because it has a lot to do with the “business” of running a theater.  But when the contest and parent involvement begin to happen, the story gets more interesting and engaging.  Writer-director Garth Jennings has conceived of a picture that is ultimately engaging and has good information for children.  The production design by Eric Guillon and animation pull the audience in visually, and Toby Talbot’s music is a running delight throughout.

This is a fanciful animation about what is actually involved in show business.

Grade:  B                                    By Donna R. Copeland

TALE OF TALES

Salma Hayek     Vincent Cassel     Toby Jones     John C. Reilly     Shirley Henderson     Christian Lees     Jonah Lees

           This could be one of those fairy tales that doesn’t turn out happy ever after…except maybe sometimes.  Matteo Garrone, director and his fellow writers (Edoardo Albinati, Ugo Chiti, Massimo Gaudiso) based their production on an Italian folklorist (Giambattista Basile) who wrote 50 tales, and this is three of them.  (Basile pre-dated the Grimm brothers in Germany.)  

    Garrone (Gomorrah), who is known for weaving in the fantastical with the mythical/psychological, does so again here inTale of Tales.  The tales all involve kings who embody the human condition of chasing after the elusive, being thwarted by fate/magic, and being ultimately undone (or not). 

       The three kingdoms of the kings are Longtrellis, Highhills, and Strongcliff.  The first king, played by John C. Reilly, has a barren wife, and in deference to her, is willing to do anything to produce an heir.  They are visited by a seer who says, “You want a child?  Every new life is cause for a life to be lost.”  Heedless of the caveat, they say they will do anything.  Little do they know what costs will be extracted from them and that the twins, born to different mothers, have an extraordinary connection to one another.  This will be significant in that one twin’s mother is the queen, but the other one’s is a scullery maid.  (More than a touch of magic here.)

         The second king, played by Vincent Cassel, expecting any woman he has a yen for to succumb to him, is bested by deceit and duly horrified.  But soon, he thinks he has found his true love.  Only…he doesn’t know how that love came to be. 

        The third king, played by Toby Jones, has a beautiful daughter whom he dotes upon, but in getting preoccupied by a flea and tending to it, he loses track of priorities and puts her at great risk.

        Themes running through Tale of Tales are meaningful (thoughtless parenting, sibling rivalry, bargains with the devil, obsession, and the main one, narcissism), but they are presented as more of a curious look at human behavior than illustrating moral principles.  That conclusion is left up to the viewer. 

         I did enjoy humorous aspects of the film (a woman thrown out of a castle window being caught up in tree limbs with her lover’s crimson bedsheet still around her, a flea turning into an exotic beast as a result of the king’s fascination, a woman desperate for regaining her youth willing to do anything), but the lack of integration among the three stories and the absence of any obvious moral principle made the film seem less important.

         Cinematography by Peter Suschitzky and music by Alexandre Desplat more than made up for this drawback.  Hayek, Cassel, Jones, and Reilly were regal figures with very human qualities; they can be considered masters of acting.

Retelling three ancient fairy tales.

Grade:  B                                    By Donna R. Copeland

ENTERTAINMENT

  Gregg Turkington     John C. Reilly     Tye Sheridan     Dean Stockwell     Michael Cera
 

-->

Entertainment is a continuation of the Christopher Guest/Andy Kauffman movies where everyday activities and conversations are held, but with no particular logical sequencing and with a heavy dose of whatever disgusting, repellant images the filmmakers can think up (particularly those having to do with sexual and other bodily functions).  This one is written by the lead actor, Gregg Turkington, and directed by Rick Alverson.

The loose setup is that Turkington is an “entertainer” in low-life clubs or bars across the country.  In addition, some of the action takes place out in the California desert, sometimes on a table and/or chairs sitting in the sand, perhaps at a correctional center, perhaps on a tour with a tour guide, although Turkington usually wanders off to do his own thing.  The “entertainment” seems to be an exploration of just what people will laugh at, and laugh they do, particularly when pain or disgusting images are involved. 

      Turkington hires temps to perform with him, like Frank (Stockwell) and Eddie (Sheridan), one dressed as a clown and jumping up on tables taunting the audience, and one miming masturbation and defecation.  Much of the time, particularly in the beginning, it was only members of the audience in the film who were chuckling.  At one point, Gregg’s cousin John (Reilly) attends, wanting to support him and give helpful advice, but he ends up criticizing The Comedian (Turkington) instead.  To me, Reilly is about the only character I come close to chuckling at because of his usual droll style, slightly masked critical observation, and quirky logic.  For instance, here he associates a reference to Liza Minnelli with the movie The Wizard of Oz.  Then he says, “And what was that song my mother used to always cry at?”  Whereupon, he breaks out into song…but it’s “Away in a Manger.”  At other points, characters burst into out-of-tune songs, and these are funny parts as well.  But for the most

part, this film repelled me.

      Entertainment is for those who take to ribald comedy, but for most of us, it’s boring and a turn-off.

Skip this.

Grade:  D By Donna R. Copeland