NO TIME TO DIE

Daniel Craig     Ana de Armas     Rami Malek     Lea Seydoux     Ralph Fiennes

Christopher Waltz     Jeffrey Wright     Lashana Lynch     Ben Wishaw     Naomie Harris 

            Quintessential Bond with the complex plot, hair-raising chases, pretty women, and lots of booze and gadgets.  Bond (Craig)—who has “disappeared” after seeing that arch-enemy Blofeld (Waltz) is incarcerated—is found in Jamaica by his old friend, CIA officer Felix Leiter (Wright), after Bond has just unceremoniously put his girlfriend Madeleine (Seydoux) on the train because of his suspicions about her.  She is heartbroken, proclaiming her innocence, and walks down the aisle seeing him in passing windows as the train leaves the station—an eloquent graphic image—thanks to Linus Sandgren (La La Land, The Hundred-Foot Journey, American Hustle), whose photography in the film is impressive throughout.

            Leiter points out that an important scientist, Valdo Obruchev (David Dencik) (has been abducted and needs to be found to prevent a scheme that could result in the death of millions.  The plot thickens from there, with Bond having to confront forces of which he was previously unaware.  It brings him into contact with his old boss at British Secret Intelligence Service, M (Fiennes) and staff, and tensions he now encounters and must manage between the U.S. CIA and British Intelligence.  Most touchy is the fact that M has assigned another agent, female Nomi (Lynch), to be 007.  This awkward situation must be dealt with because the old 007 wants to be involved in the case because it still seems to be connected with Spectre’s Ernest Blofeld (Waltz), whom Bond had put in prison.

            The most alarming danger comes from an evil man, Llyutsifer Safin (Malek), who has a poison plan that threatens millions across the world.  Getting to him is of course a tall order, and will require cooperation among all the parties involved, including international interests.

            The film is overly long with too many implausible chases and fights—as are found in most/all action films.  But it is successful in gripping intrigues and nail-biting dilemmas.  Daniel Craig is at his best in portraying for his last time the brave strategist Bond is known to be, with the additional acquisition of personal commitment and less womanizing.  He comes across as actually gallant at times.  

            A bright spot in the deluges of combat is shown by Ana de Armas as Paloma.  She kicks a.. impressively and with a little bit of humor, giving the viewer frequent “so there!” satisfactions.  Bad guys like Blofeld and Safir send plenty of chills up the spine, both because of their physical appearances and their evil nature.  Seydoux lacks some of the glamour and keenness of mind that Bond women usually have, but Lashana Lynch, the new 007, is appealing in her level-headedness and combat skills.  Lynch attributes part of her character’s success to the contributions of Phoebe Waller-Bridge to the script.  Hans Zimmer’s music for his first Bond film adds color to the action, and has just the right number of references to music in previous Bond films, most notably, the recognizable “suspense” motif.  Billie Eilish singing the title track co-written by her and her brother Finneas O’Connell provides additional inspiration.

 

No Time to Die will reward fans of the Bond films with plenty of intrigue and spine-chilling tension.  

 

Grade:  B+                            By Donna R. Copeland

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY

Rami Malek     Lucy Boynton     Joseph Mazello     Ben Hardy    Gwilym Lee    

John Deacon     Mike Myers     Aiden Gillen     Tom Hollander     Allen Leech

   Bohemian Rhapsody does everything a good music biopic should:  It gives multidimensional pictures of the main characters; includes large doses of the music; uses creative lighting, camera work, production design, and special effects to glamorize the action; and is engrossingly entertaining.  Freddie Mercury as a subject (expertly rendered by Malek) makes such tasks easier with his flamboyance, creativity, wit, and soulfulness. The filmmakers did an excellent job in showing his charm, complexities and idiosyncrasies in an endearing manner, just as I imagine the man actually appeared.
       It is also fascinating to get a look behind the scenes of deal making and intrigues that are part of the rock star world.  A scene that will be indelible is rejecting producer Meyers' face as he listens to Queen’s performance at the Live Aid Concert.  Priceless.  Just as with the main characters, the business people and aides to the band are presented as real humans with hopes, dreams, and failings in ways that makes them real to us.  Two of Freddie’s abrupt firings will be lasting impressions.  

     Malek is certainly a star who can play a star with ease and flair.  Hopefully, he will be remembered at award time, because this role is far and away different from, but just as good as, his highly successful “Mr. Robot” role.  The other actors playing members of the band (Mazello, Hardy, and Lee) are dynamic and have uncanny resemblances to the real people.  (Good casting!)  Freddie was unusual in his sincerity mixed with disdain.  Yet, most interestingly, the latter did not appear in his regard and concern for the love of his life, Mary (Boynton).  It is fascinating to see the real story in that they remained friends throughout their lives, with her having an understanding of his makeup and he realizing that he could not expect her to devote her life to him.  Seldom do we see such a relationship portrayed on screen, and Boynton captured the incandescence of Mary.

     Newton Thomas Sigel’s cinematography made the concerts and ongoing dramas come alive in color and action, and John Ottman overseeing the music gave us many treats, especially the extended concert at the end during the real Live Action Concert.  Queen fans will be very gratified by this indulgence.

If one is remotely interested in rock stars and their psychology, this is a highly rewarding portrait.

Grade:  A                                                            By Donna R. Copeland

PAPILLON

Rami Malek     Charlie Hunnam

     Papillon the character isn’t like a butterfly at all (the name comes from a tattoo on the real Papillon’s chest); he is strong as an ox and has a stubborn sense of purpose that no amount of torture can break.  Henri Charrière (nicknamed Papillon), a thief, has been framed for murder, and is sent to prison in French Guiana.  He immediately begins planning for his escape, and wisely offers protection from the other inmates to bespectacled Louis Dega (Malek), a refined counterfeiter whom he has rightly guessed is not likely to survive prison, AND he has money.  Papillon makes his offer in exchange for Dega helping plan (and fund) their escape.  

     What will follow are infractions and at least four attempted escapes by the two men with various others.  They are always caught, and swift punishments ensue.  From the beginning, they had been told by the well-fed warden in a white suit that “keeping you is no gain; losing you is no loss.”  This is announced in the courtyard with a guillotine clearly visible for those who commit murder; solitary confinement is for lesser violations like trying to escape.  

     Papillon will undergo severe punishments, including two years of solitary confinement, then total darkness and half rations because he refuses to give up the name of the person who had sneaked into him a coconut every day for a while. Demonstrating his pluck—as he often does—Papillon insolently thwarts every attempt to make him turn. (He would be turning in his new-found comrade, Dega.)

     Papillon is beautifully filmed (Hagen Bogdanski) and scored (David Buckley), which helps offset the repetitious brutality and frustration of repeated escape-capture-punishment sequences.  Another compensation involves following the quirky relationship that develops between Papillon and Dega.  Both actors skillfully pull you in because they are so good, but also because their characters’ connection is nuanced, with Dega being ambivalent in the beginning, Papillon struggling with Dega’s dependency, but then ultimately feeling genuinely responsible for him.  (There is honor among thieves, apparently, and these two seem to develop a deep, long-lasting bond.)  Director Michael Noer has orchestrated well all the components to make this a worthwhile film to see.

     It’s a lesson in fortitude certainly, but with principles as well.  At times, Dega ribs Papillon about being the son of two schoolteachers, but although they weren’t able to keep him totally honest, they did teach him two important principles:  Don’t kill, and don’t leave anyone behind.  As Dega says in the preview of the movie, “That man risked his life for me.”

This film—as well as its 1973 production—is based on the 1969 autobiography by Henri Charrière, some events of which have been questioned.  The general consensus seems to be that 75% of the book is true (according to the author), and that much of the content derives from other prisoners’ accounts.  At any rate, this Papillon is provocative, and although it may be better (partly because of new technology) than its 1973 sister, there is still a question about why/whether a remake was necessary or desirable.

At base, Papillon is a lesson in principled fortitude, showing heroism even among (some of) the incarcerated. It’s a fascinating account that holds you captive.

Grade:  B                                    By Donna R. Copeland

BUSTER'S MAL HEART

Rami Malek     DJ Qualls     Kate Lyn Sheil     Sukha Belle Potter

      Writer/director Sarah Adina Smith’s surreal production could only succeed with the force of Rami Malek’s portrayals of odd characters (e.g., Mr. Robot) who can mysteriously transform himself into different personas ranging from everyman to psychotic man.  Here, he is at least two characters—one, a restless night clerk at a hotel who is frustrated with a job beneath his intellect; and the other, a deranged “mountain man”, fleeing from the law after a traumatic event.  There is a lot to fill in between these two appearances, and it’s not always clear exactly what is transpiring. 

     Smith jumps back and forth in time (which I nearly always hate, but her aim here might be to keep the viewer guessing and slightly disoriented to identify with the star’s predicaments), so that we see Jonah happily married to Marty (Sheil) and reveling in his precocious daughter Roxy (Potter), but he’s feeling stifled and bone-weary from his job.  His social/political views help fuel his anger.  The family has moved in with Marty’s parents to save money for a plot of land in the country, and this is clearly stressful for all, and what brings Buster to the brink is the dawning realization that they may never fulfill their dream.

     One night at the hotel, a mysterious man (DJ Qualls) asks for a room, but refuses to give any ID or even a name.  He easily engages Jonah into conversations about a coming apocalypse called an “inversion”, heightening his anxiety and further prompting Jonah’s existential/political questions.  Eventually, Jonah tries to get rid of the man, and thinks he has, but…

     Other times, we see Malek as longhaired bearded “Buster” roaming around in the mountains, breaking into vacation homes, and running from the sheriff and his deputies.  Smith leaves us guessing here, as well as at other times, as to which scenes are hallucinations and which are real.  At times, I even wondered whether the Qualls character might be another of Jonah’s personalities. 

     Buster’s Mal Heart is intriguing, fortified by Rami Malek’s performance in television’s “Mr. Robot.”  Similarities between Jonah (“Buster”) and Mr. Robot are enough to enhance this production’s already fascinating value.  DJ Qualls gives the right amount of creepiness as the mysterious hotel guest to rev up the mystery.

Drama with tinges of humor morphs into a mystery/thriller.

Grade:  B                                    By Donna R. Copeland