REBECCA

 Lily James     Armie Hammer     Kristin Scott Thomas     Tom Goodman Hall     Sam Riley

     The film starts out to be the intriguing, guilty pleasure that the novel on which it was based was.  Daphne Du Maurier’s book was a hit from the beginning of its publication in 1938, described by a publisher as “everything the public could want”, and, even currently, it’s considered a “marvelously gothic tale with a good dose of atmospheric and psychological horror” (Critics for The Independent, “The 40 best books to read during lockdown”, 8/22/2020).  The book has never been out of print since its first publication.  

     This rendition in film (coming after Alfred Hitchcock’s Academy Award winning film in 1940 and various others less notable) has a talented cast, beautiful production, costumes, and music, and for most of it keeps the viewer liking this kind of drama engaged.  

     The captivating story is about a rather naïve, unnamed companion (Lily James) to a dowager, bumping into a wealthy widower, the famed Maxim de Winter (Hammer) by accident several times in Monte Carlo.  He is taken by her and pursues her on clandestine dates to the point of proposing marriage.  She’s very appealing both in her naïvete and her passion for adventure and knowledge.  He’s gallant and honorable, and after a couple of weeks proposes, after which they settle on his estate well known as Manderly, a property passed down in the family for 300 years.

     That’s when the mystery starts, as there is a ghost hanging over the mansion in the form of the former, now deceased, Madam de Winter perpetuated by the entire staff led by Mrs. Danvers (Thomas), the housekeeper.  Most people know the story well, and the film adheres very closely to Du Maurier’s novel.

     First, to the fine cast.  Lily James (Downton Abbey, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again) is a gifted actress who is adept in her convincing characterizations, and is so appealing here in transforming the well-read but experience-deprived pretty blonde into an assertive, intelligent detective. As Maxim, Armie Hammer (Call Me By Your Name, The Social Network, J. Edgar) delivers his usual excellence in craft, playing a very different role as a wealthy gentleman.  Kristin Scott Thomas (The English Patient, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Gosford Park, Only God Forgives) is almost a legend in capturing diverse roles and coming across as a powerful figure.  She is truly intimidating here when she is wanting to come across as either formidable, helpful, or vindictive.  Actors like Sam Riley, Tom Goodman Hall, and Beatrice Lacey fully support these stars in their bringing us a well-known story.

     The place where I think the production declines in value is toward the end, when it seemed like the filmmakers were just eager to end the project in whatever way possible.  The biggest offense in this to me is when we see Madam de Winter lighting up a cigarette as she reflects on her transformation.  The tobacco company who helped fund the movie must have paid a fair amount to have this be a part of her reflection.  I don’t recall the character ever smoking throughout the movie.  Was that supposed to convey that she is sophisticated now? Give me a break.  This whole ending of the film seems tinny and out of character with the preceding drama, and the abrupt change in the ingénue into a sharp-minded sleuth and fighter turns out to be jarring.

 

Guilty pleasure probably best describes this production.  The pleasure mostly comes from cast performances and from the timelessness of the story, one to which so many of us are susceptible.

 

Grade:  C                                    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

MAMMA MIA! HERE WE GO AGAIN

Lily James     Amanda Seyfried     Meryl Streep     Dominic Cooper     Pierce Brosnan     Stellan Skarsgard

Christine Baranski     Colin Firth     Cher     Julie Walters     Jeremy Irvine     Andy Garcia

     I think the best things about this film are ABBA’s songs from the first Mamma Mia and Meryl Streep’s reprise at the end.  Oh, well, and yes, the local woman telling a young man where to get off after he “did a woman wrong” and then wanted to return to her arms. She is a lovable, wise character who makes you chuckle at her and cheer her on at the same time.  Although Benny Andersson, a member of ABBA, and two colleagues, Anne Dudley and Bjorn Ulvaeus (also involved in the first production), supply most of the music here, it doesn’t have the draw the earlier rendition had.  Part of the responsibility may lie with the director and co-writer, Ol Parker.

     The filmmakers have valiantly tried to recapture the moods, atmosphere, and humor of the first Mamma Mia! (2008) and even 2016's La La Land, but never quite achieve the lyrical magic of those productions.  Instead, I found it to be jarring in its disjointed cuts from one scene to the next without natural transitions; the songs appear to be inserted haphazardly, even though they’re clearly intended to wedge the viewer into an emotion of the moment.  The dialog is unnatural and even vacuous at times, such as, “Nothing is that simple.” “Everything is, when you break it down.”  Everything: really?  People fall in love instantaneously, and sometimes when they break up, the songs reflect a much deeper relationship than could possibly have occurred. 

     The story is a continuation of the first Mamma Mia!  Donna (Streep) has died, and her daughter Sophie (James, Seyfried) wants to refurbish Donna’s villa and stage a party that will honor her mother. She is still grieving her mother’s passing, and invites her three fathers (Brosnan, Skarsgard, Firth) and Donna’s closest friends (Baranski, Walters) to come to the villa on a Greek island for the special occasion.  Sophie is engaged to Sky (Cooper), whose business has stationed him in New York, leading them to the decision to suspend their engagement.  The party is all set up, but in the interim, there will be a storm that damages the villa and other distractions, namely, Sophie’s becoming involved with various suitors ([her engagement to Sky (Cooper) has been suspended.]  Somehow, even though Sophie goes on boat rides and long walks, she still manages to keep the villa intact, perhaps because of the efforts of one of her fathers, Sam (Brosnan).

     At any rate, the party does take place, old acquaintances/loves are renewed, and a surprise guest (Cher) suddenly appears, with a touching rapprochement between her and Fernando (Garcia).  In the end, Donna is duly honored, and everyone present feels gratified.  

This is a musical without the exquisite blending of fantasy, reality, and art that some of its predecessors (e.g., La La Land) have achieved.

Grade:  D+                                    By Donna R. Copeland

DARKEST HOUR

Gary Oldman     Kristin Scott Thomas     Stephen Dillane     Ronald Pickup     Ben Mendelssohn     Lily James

     Timing.  If only this picture had preceded Dunkirk, I think we would have a better understanding of both films.  Darkest Hour informs us about Winston Churchill’s darkest hour just after he’s become Prime Minister (without the firm support of key Parliament members and even King George VI) when Hitler’s Germany has occupied the Netherlands, Belgium, and France.  Viscount Halifax (Dillane) and Lord Chamberlain (Pickup) are urging him to start negotiations for peace with Hitler—which is anathema to Churchill.  But to this film’s credit, we feel the tremendous burden the conundrum places on someone with this degree of power.  And Churchill sincerely looks at all sides, finally being convinced of the road to take, delivering one of the most rousing speeches of his career about standing up to Hitler’s military threat.  (The ride on the underground, where he elicits riders’ opinions is the filmmakers’ invention.)

     Writer Anthony McCarten and Director Joe Wright have made Darkest Hour a study of Winston Churchill the man—his relationship with his wife Clementine (Thomas) (who continually reinforces the better side of him), his interactions with Parliament members and his staff and the King (Mendelssohn), and frequent periods of doubt and concern over doing what was right for the country and its people.   He seems hardboiled about sacrificing thousands of troops in Callaix, yet when it is made personal by his secretary Miss Layton (James), he is clearly moved and saddened.  When his family toasts him on winning the post of Prime Minister, his own toast is, “Here’s to not buggering it up.”

     This may be the role of Gary Oldham’s career, and one that may earn him a long overdue Academy Award.  The makeup and his portrayal of the great man completely hide his own identity.  I tried in vain to see a trace of Oldham the actor in his appearance.  He’s known for a wide range of roles and pictures, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Nil by Mouth (writer, director), Sid and Nancy, The Dark Knight (2), Batman, Planet of the Apes, and Harry Potter, and he well deserves accolades for his performance here.  Kristin Scott Thomas is exemplary in her acting as well, and Lily James is noteworthy in her role as Churchill’s new secretary. 

    Director Joe Wright is acclaimed for his British productions, particularly Pride and Prejudice and Atonement, but is respected as well for his other films, The Soloist, Hanna, and Anna Karenina. In Darkest Hour, he elects to shine more light on Churchill’s personality, particularly during a tenuous period when he has little support and must convince so many that it’s better not to negotiate with Hitler and Mussolini but for England to stand its ground.  He was a voice crying in the wilderness, because so many in the government were not taking strong stands against fascism, and his good friend President Roosevelt did not feel free (because of America’s neutral stance) to lend air support. 

     The film highlights that period of time when Winston Churchill proved himself a hero.  Not much will be new to the viewer after so many Churchill movies; the primary reason to see it is perhaps Gary Oldman’s performance.

Behind the scenes government in Britain leading up to the Battle of Dunkirk.

Grade:  C                                    By Donna R. Copeland

CINDERELLA

Lily James     Cate Blanchett     Helena Bonham Carter     Richard Madden     Stellan Skarsgard     Derek Jacobi

This production of Cinderella with director Kenneth Branagh is most enchanting, but the fairy tale has been tweaked by writer Chris Weitz, modernizing it to be in tune with current values.  For instance, Cinderella is kind without being mealy mouthed.  She took to heart her mother’s exhortation to “have courage and be kind.”  Later, she insists that her suitor must “like me as I am.”  When the prince is searching for the mysterious woman at the ball, he is certain that he wants to marry her “if she is willing.”  And the king—after some convincing by his son, urges him to marry for love as opposed to making a contract in the kingdom’s interest.

Lily James plays the part of Cinderella with just the right amount of sauciness and sincerity, and makes an interesting contrast with Blanchett, the conniving step-mother, whose two daughters, Drizella (Sophie McShera) and Anastasia (Holliday Grainger) add buffoonery and gaucheness to further the entertainment.  Prince Charming (Madden) is shown to have values and to be coming into his own as a responsible adult.  The fairy godmother (Carter) adds magic and sparkle, and the special effects used to transform a pumpkin, mice, a goose and lizards into a royal transport are particularly well done.

This is a great movie for children; it has flash that will dazzle them, intrigue that will engage them, and wholesome messages that may seem to pass by, but hopefully will be stored in their brains somehow.   

I thoroughly enjoyed a cast made up of a number of well-known TV personalities:  James and McShera (Downton Abbey), Madden (Game of Thrones), and Hayley Atwell (The Pillars of the Earth).  Of course, Blanchett, Carter, Stellan Skarsgard, and Derek Jacobi are loved and revered in the movie world.

Wonderfully updated version of a beloved fairy tale.

Grade:  A                 By Donna R. Copeland