BOMBSHELL

Charlize Theron     Nicole Kidman     Margot Robbie     John Lithgow     Connie Britton

Kate McKinnon     Allison Janney     Mark Duplass     Malcolm McDowell

     For years now, Fox News, created by Rupert Murdoch and Roger Ailes has been a driving force in American politics.  Ailes had been a Republican activist before affiliating with Fox News, facilitating the elections of Richard M. Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush to the Presidency of the United States.  As a side note, he was instrumental in getting Rudy Guiliani elected mayor of New York City, and of significant note, he was an adviser to the 2016 Trump campaign for President.  Bombshell takes up the Ailes story toward the end of an impressive/infamous career when he appears to be the most powerful (and feared) executive at the Fox media network.

     It’s easy to see how powerful men become so secure in their place, they imagine they’re invulnerable.  Ailes is not the first (and perhaps not the last) to go down that road.  

     In the film, we are taken on a tour by Megyn Kelly (Theron), news anchor, of the Fox News administration and broadcasters, noting that Ailes and Murdoch are signified by the floors of their offices.  “Floor 2 wants to see you.”  “You’re asked to come to the 8^thfloor.”  The next person we meet is Gretchen Carlson (Kidman) of the popular show, “Fox and Friends.”  We see her attempting to counter Fox’s “legs” image of women and help them achieve more respect for themselves and other women.  But not only does she get in Ailes’ crosshairs, she takes on Donald Trump in the 2016 Republican debates by baiting him on his treatment of women.  This is anathema to Ailes, a Trump supporter, and he fires Carlson.

     After that, we witness Carlson’s decision to file a suit against Ailes, her attempts to get women in the Fox organization to come forward, all of this putting Megyn Kelly in a dilemma.  Does she step up with her own story, or maintain her cushy place in broadcast television where she is adored?

     Charles Randolph’s script and Jay Roach’s direction seem to be an even-handed approach to a combustible issue, because facts are on their side.  Ailes’ telling quotes (recorded by Carlson) are sprinkled throughout, giving full evidence to the suit against him. For example:  “To get ahead, you’ve got to give a little head.” “I’m discreet, though unforgiving (when you betray me).”  “You have to prove your loyalty to me.”  But Ailes’ most awesome and ironic exclamation is, “These women are trying to f--- me!”

     It would have been more informative for Bombshell to have elucidated the backstory of Ailes in his activist roles before becoming a Fox News executive and his relationship with Murdoch and his sons, who clearly disapprove of him.  Is that next for a whole new production?

     Noteworthy for their performances in this film are Charlize Theron as Megyn Kelly, Nicole Kidman as Gretchen Carlson, and John Lithgow as Roger Ailes.  These are all powerful performances at their best. Giving staccato emphases are Connie Britton as Ailes’ loyal wife, Allison Janney as his lawyer, and Mark Duplass as Megyn’s supportive husband, Douglas.  

If you want to see beautiful women in effective, provocative roles, this is a movie to see.

Grade:  B+                                    By Donna R. Copeland

YESTERDAY

Himesh Patel     Lily James     Kate McKinnon     Ed Sheeran     Joel Fry

     Clever fantasies require a little bit of tongue in cheek, and if you can go with it, you’re in for a treat.  In this one, something major happens all over the world that creates holes in people’s memory, such as for Coca Cola, cigarettes, and the Beatles. The Beatles?  Only one man, a failing British singer-songwriter, remembers them or their songs.  When his friends don’t seem to get his references to them, he sings “Yesterday”; but indeed, not only do they not recognize it, they think it’s great.  

     Many things happen by chance rather than design in this story, partly because the man who remembers, Jack Malik (Patel), is so unassuming and artless.  All he has to do is play a few songs and they catch on like wildfire (a testament to the Beatles’ music).  He maintains an air of disbelief throughout.  Soon, he is contacted by Ed Sheeran (the real Sheeran), runs with his group for a while, and gets to Hollywood, with the aptly named Debra Hammer (McKinnon) as his agent.  All these interactions are funny, because they capture some of the real world of entertainment today. 

     Most notable in this respect and ultimately the star of these sequences, Kate McKinnon as the Hollywood agent is sizzling in her best Saturday Night Live persona. I have to wonder if she contributed to some of her lines.  In this movie, she helps propel Jack to world stardom, but always with hilarious ways of expressing herself, e.g., to Jack’s parents, she asks, “And when did you learn your son was too good for you?”  Always a put-down within a show of support.  Double meanings are a McKinnon specialty.

     In the story, Jack becomes a world sensation backed up by the Hollywood machine, and plays to screaming fans in the thousands.  He’s more than a little bewildered, is racking his brain constantly to remember all the songs, and has pangs of conscience, but it’s like a moving train propelling him forward.  Himesh Patel (known for his work on British television for “Eastenders”) embodies his character seamlessly, showing his talent in music as well as acting. 

     The film elicits many chuckles, such as the times Jack tries desperately to Google anything connected to the Beatles and only comes up with “Beetle”, and for John and Paul he gets “Pope John Paul.”  Another time, when he is asked how he comes up with so many songs so quickly, he replies with sincerity, “I don’t know; it’s almost like they’re written by someone else.”

     During the film, I wondered how the filmmakers would wrap up this incredible fantasy. They did it partly by incorporating a triangular love story involving Lily James as Ellie, Jack’s first agent—which I thought could have been dispensed with—but the resolution of which, for some, might be the point.  But the way in which they wrapped up the Jack Malik’s career story is paramount, most of which I think is very clever, minus a few maudlin scenes with a couple and someone from the past.

     Directed by the admirable Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire), Yesterday can be praised for its clever premise written by Jack Barth and Richard Curtis, its renditions of Beatles music by Daniel Pemberton, and its casting actors Patel, James, and McKinnon.  A Beatles fan like me can just sit back and enjoy the music and the jokes without dwelling on reality considerations.

A story about when a serious bicycle accident and stroke of fate coincide to provide the opportunity of a lifetime.

Grade:  C+                                    By Donna R. Copeland

FERDINAND

Voices of:  John Cena     Jeremy Sisto     Bobby Cannavale     Lily Day     Juanes

Jerrod Carmichael     Kate McKinnon     Anthony Anderson     Peyton Manning    

David Tennant     Carlos Saldanha     Miguel Angel Silvestre

     How do you tell a story about a pacifist bull?  Well, Twentieth Century Fox Animation and Director Carlos Saldanha do just that, based on a book by Munro Leaf and Robert Lawson.  We don’t know why Ferdinand (Cena) doesn’t want to fight; his father is a champion bull, but Ferdinand likes to smell the flowers—literally!  He is teased unmercifully by his peers, especially Valiente (Cannavale), a barnyard bully.  But Ferdinand is smart, and when it looks like he is going to be chosen to go to the arena for a fight, he bolts (no easy task, since the bull pen is highly secure). 

     I won’t say how he gets away, which is part of the fun, but he ends up on a ranch owned by Juan (Juanes), who indulges his daughter Nina (Day) in keeping as many pets as she wants.  She falls in love with Ferdinand, and they become fast friends.  He is SO happy with Nina and her father, smelling dozens of flowers on the countryside as he roams wherever he wants, and only has to contend with the testy Paco (Carmichael) the dog who is feeling like his special place has been usurped.  Ferdinand is fed and treated well at the ranch and grows to be “a beast” of a bull.

     All would have been fine ever after, but Ferdinand sees no reason why he can’t accompany his new family to the annual flower market in the city.  Juan says it is not a good place for Ferdinand, and he is left behind.  Alas, he argues with himself about complying with his owner’s wishes, but ultimately decides he should go to the festival.  Once there, he is so enthralled by all the flowers, he makes some bad decisions, and thereafter the festival becomes truly like “a bull in a china closet”, because his appearance terrifies people, and in trying to get away, he upsets more than one apple cart.

     This escape costs him greatly, and he finds himself once again in la Casa del Toro where bulls are trained and from where Ferdinand had just run away.  Now, we see the more mature Ferdinand taking a leadership role in trying to persuade his fellow bulls why they should resist going to the bullring.  These sequences are good for children to see how political positions are reasoned out based on observed facts. 

     After this, the story devolves into the contemporary popular car-bus-train chase.  (Every exciting film has to have a car chase, right?)  I didn’t get the impression the children in the audience were as fascinated by this as were/are filmmakers, but this goes on for a significant number of minutes in the film.

     When the story finally gets back to the basic idea of the film, it ends on stirring moments when the concept of/reason for pacifism is shown very clearly, both in the evidence about what actually happens at bull fights, and what can go on in the ring when a bull doesn’t want to fight.  It ends in a way that preserves everyone’s pride.

     Ferdinand has some very clever, funny scenes (e.g., a dance contest, of all things, between the Germanic sounding, haughty horses and the inhabitants of the barnyard at Casa del Toro), and some lines tossed out for adults in the audience (e.g., “Let’s try to Haagen-Das (hug) it out”, “I’ve fallen, and I can’t giddy-up”, and a reference to re-gifting.)  But most of its value is in modeling for children a) how to make decisions about whether to fight or not to fight; and b) showing that bravery can be shown by leadership just as much as by muscle.  Related to that, it shows how maturing in a loving atmosphere is strengthening.

This is about a brave bull who had good reasons for not going into the bullring.

Grade:  B+                                    By Donna R. Copeland

OFFICE CHRISTMAS PARTY

Jason Bateman   Olivia Munn   T. J. Miller   Jennifer Anniston   Kate McKinnon   Courtney B. Vance   Rob Corddry

          This is a movie for people who like silliness and absurdity, who think heavy drinking, drugs and major destruction are funny—and there were certainly those present at the screening I attended.  The more outrageous the comment or behavior, the more they laughed.  So if this is your cup of tea, the way you relax during a stressful time of the year, then Office Christmas Party is for you.

         The father of Carol (Anniston) and Clay (Miller) left them his successful IT company, and Carol, Miss Goody-Two-Shoes in the family, runs it with an iron fist (no velvet glove).  Her biggest irritant is her brother Clay who was always favored by their father, despite his messing up and his sister being the much high achiever.  The situation right before Christmas is that Carol intends to lay off 40% of the employees in Clay’s branch because although they earned a profit, it wasn’t high enough for Carol.  And above all there would be no Christmas party and no end-of-year bonuses.

         Leave it to Hollywood to solve the problem with the biggest party blowout ever, one that will host a major athlete, as well as a potential billionaire partner.  Of course, it won’t go smoothly, and most of the story chronicles the mayhem and havoc that will ensue, ending up with the, nowadays required, car chase.  You will guess ahead of time how it will all turn out.

        The movie is so formulaic, not only will the viewer be able to figure out the conclusion, but from moment to moment, he/she will be able to anticipate what will happen next, given a stereotypical set-up.  The major flaw in the film is the script from six(!) writers drawn from who knows how many previous movies.  The direction (Josh Gordon and Will Speck), music (Theodore Shapiro), cinematography (Jeff Cutter), and acting are of reasonable quality; it’s just that with a story this lame and without any creativity whatsoever the whole show is doomed.

        If there is any weight to this picture at all, it is in its depiction of sibling rivalry and how parents might script out their children’s lives unfairly.  Unfortunately, the siblings are shown to be so one-dimensional, they become caricatures, and while change takes place, it’s not plausible from what came before.

This is a Christmas party you probably won’t want to go to.

Grade:  F                                    By Donna R. Copeland

GHOSTBUSTERS

Kristin Wiig   Melissa McCarthy   Kate McKinnon   Leslie Jones   Chris Hemsworth   Bill Murray   Cecily Strong

          For those who like slapstick comedy, sitcoms, and special effects, this movie will be a blast (literally).  It’s very much in the style of most of the Melissa McCarthy films, where she is outrageous but smart.  As Abby, she has three side-kicks here, one a legitimate scientist (Wiig as physicist Erin), one a female scientist-nerd (McKinnon as Jillion), and one a New York street-wise woman with practical connections and a vast knowledge of New York’s history (Jones as Patty).  At first, Erin is put off by Abby’s promotion of their co-authored book on parapsychology and ghosts from some years back, until….sightings of ghosts are reported throughout the city.  And when she witnesses a graphic ghost appearance, she is on board.  Unfortunately, she is fired from her university job for even being associated with such an endeavor.  Nevertheless, she goes on to form part of a team of ghostbusters who will be discredited but remain committed and valiant.

         Ghostbusters is remarkable for a number of assets that are impressive, particularly the casting and the special and visual effects.  Cinematography (Robert D. Yeoman) is likewise noteworthy.   McCarthy and Wiig have demonstrated their talent in numerous productions (Wiig:  Bridesmaids, The Skeleton Twins, Saturday Night Live; McCarthy:  Bridesmaids, Spy, St. Vincent), but McKinnon, new to moviedom, steals the show in her portrayal of a character not seen in most of movieland—a female nerd who is an expert in firearms.  She doesn’t just shoot them; she creates them.  McKinnon’s characterization of this odd, entertaining inventor is a rare treat, especially since, for all its female empowerment, this Ghostbusters pulls out all the tired female stereotypes we’ve seen in countless films:  Girlie shrieks and jumping up and down after a success, yammering and arguing over trivia, complete melt-down and foolishness at the sight of a handsome man, and on and on.  I’m disappointed in these actresses for this, as well as the writer Katie Dippold and director, Paul Feig, whom I thought previously was a champion of women.

      In their defense, the Hemsworth character, Kevin, who is supposed to be the receptionist for the ghostbuster group, goes against the actor’s normally heroic persona to one who is rather dim and narcissistic.  He doesn’t know how to answer the phone or respond logically to questions, and is completely preoccupied with his own interests.  He, the mayor (Andy Garcia), and other males don’t come off much better than the females.  Maybe female/male stereotypes were meant to be part of the jokes of the film.

        Other casting strengths include the number of the previous Ghostbuster actors (Bill Murray, Sigourney Weaver, Dan Akroyd, and Annie Potts) as well as cameo appearances of notables like Ed Begley, Jr., Charles Dance, Michael Kenneth Williams, Andy Garcia, and Al Roker.  These, as well as references to a host of other films add a special element of fun.

A surprising thriller teeming with goofiness.

Grade:  C+                        By Donna R. Copeland