HOUSE OF GUCCI

 Salma Hayek     Jared Leto     Adam Driver     Lady Gaga

Al Pacino     Madalina Ghenea     Jeremy Irona     Jack Huston

            This is a colorful film with a complex plot that begins light-heartedly romantic and interesting.  Mauricio Gucci (Driver) is a reserved young man without much of a social life and still living in his family home with his father Rodolfo Gucci (Irons).  Patrizia (Lady Gaga) is an ambitious, sexy woman who, when he tells her his name at a party, flirtaciously picks him up, in a way, and he is instantly attracted to her.  They seem to mesh well together; she draws him out and he offers her stability and dependability.

            After a short time, when Mauricio introduces Patrizia to his father, although the older man is charmed by her, he is suspicious as well and warns his son not to get involved.  This creates such harsh disagreement, Mauricio moves out of the home and shows up at Patrizia’s, where he is taken in and begins working at her father’s trucking company (which Patrizia affectedly refers to as “land transportation”).  

            Mauricio is modest, belying his wealthy background, and thoroughly enjoys the physical labor.  Their love continues to grow, resulting in marriage and a child.  Many events transpire after that, with the couple remaining very much in love.

            Although skirmishes had always been a part of the family’s existence, major trouble begins to brew around running the business and financial disagreements brought on partly by the introduction of Rodolfo’s brother Aldo (Pacino) in New York City, to Patrizia and her not being able—or willing—to resist getting involved in the business and pressuring her husband to take certain actions.

            What transpires is heightened intrigue and shifting loyalties and how far people in families will go when bonds weaken and their circumstances begin to change.  

             Ridley Scott directed the film based on a book by Sara Gay Forden, with screenplay by Becky Johnston and Roberto Bentivegna.  The pace goes along nicely, giving the viewer time to absorb who all the players are and mete out the twists and turns as in a good crime story.  Scott is better known for his scripts than for his direction.  And it is probably the case in this film that his reputation is borne out.  For those who are not familiar with the story, there are major surprises as all the different elements unfold, a positive of the script.  Direction, however, may be lacking in the cohesiveness of the cast in the story.  

            That being said, along with the script, the cast is one of the film’s strongest points, beginning with the two leads, Adam Driver and Lady Gaga.  Driver is on a roll this year, with three of his movies on wide-ranging subjects being released.  Here, he is his most laid back, slow to burn character until he is pushed too far.  Lady Gaga is good at playing an ambitious woman who uses her sexiness to her advantage.  Her performance may be a bit “over the top”, but I enjoyed her young enthusiasm and craftiness in the beginning.  Later on, as the plot thickens, she is showing more of her naivete, and she relies more and more on her fortune teller (Hayak—who doesn’t quite fit the role), one’s sympathy for the character (and perhaps for the house of Gucci and The House of Gucci the movie) wanes.  

            In the mix is the uncanny performance of Jared Leto as Paolo Gucci, the “idiot son, but he’s my son” son of Aldo.  Leto shows the man as one with questionable talent who is a bit of a changeling, trying to adapt himself to whatever he thinks is expected.  

            Some may think this film is more about the fashion industry, but it is actually a chronicle of an international company whose direction failed in the face of conflicts within its leadership, a family.

 

Go and see this as a film about a family business rather than about fashion.

 

Grade:  B                              By Donna R. Copeland

ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD

Christopher Plummer     Michelle Williams     Mark Wahlberg     Charlie Plummer     Timothy Hutton

   OPENING CHRISTMAS DAY!

    The film begins on the streets of Rome in the evening, and Paul (Charlie Plummer) is outside strolling among the women who are inviting, but when they see his age, they tell him to go home.  Even though he is a sixteen, he looks even younger, with bright blue eyes and an innocent expression.  Still, “I can take care of myself”, he replies with quiet confidence.  And as immediate disproof of that claim, he is grabbed and whisked into a blue Volkswagen van, which speeds off.  The statement becomes even more ironically prescient when it becomes clear that he has been kidnapped and held for ransom—17 million dollars.

  Thus begins a stellar struggle between his mother Gail Getty (Williams) and his grandfather, J. Paul Getty (Christopher Plummer), the richest man in the world, who stubbornly refuses to pay the ransom, despite his wealth, retorting that with his 14 grandchildren if he paid for one’s ransom, he would have to pay for 13 more of them.  He is a notorious modern-day Scrooge, who periodically delivers mantras about money (e.g., “There is very little in life worth paying full price for”) and is known for his merciless haggling over even low sums.  He is eccentric in his tastes, as well as in his complete preoccupation with himself.

     But one of the most entertaining aspects of this film is seeing Gail, his daughter-in-law, resembling him more than does his own son, her husband.  She is a fair match in making deals with him that ultimately win, despite his vast resources and personal cunning.  It’s a delight to see her negotiate with him during her divorce, but even more, later, during the kidnapping-ransom process.

     All the Money in the World recounts the well-publicized event when J. Paul Getty’s grandson was kidnapped in 1973.  Getty’s recalcitrance in paying the ransom was covered by the news media, and tidbits about his chintziness, such as having pay telephones in his mansion for guests, was in the newspapers.  (This is noted in the film in a light-hearted moment for the viewers, but exasperating in reality to Gail.)  Ridley Scott and the writer David Scarpa (based on a book by John Pearson) have made it an exciting romp with lots of tension and suspense, as well as demonstrating for us the realities of a kidnapping situation [perhaps prompting discussions about the current U.S. policy of refusing to negotiate with political kidnappers].  It diverges from the real story to some extent in the interest of dramatization and thrill, and it cuts back and forth between the past and the present and different parts of the globe, creating some disorientation for the viewer.

     Michelle Williams is a wonder as a character who is sharp and ever creative in managing an eccentric billionaire’s sometimes bizarre machinations and paradoxes.  One example is his distaste for children except as possessions and as an extension of himself, and fighting with Gail for custody of his grandchildren.  Inserted into the film as a last-minute replacement for Kevin Spacey, Christopher Plummer demonstrates his acumen by showing full embodiment of the Getty character. 

This is a thriller, highlighting a wealthy man’s eccentricities.

Grade:  B+                                    By Donna R. Copeland

ALIEN: COVENANT

Michael Fassbender     Katherine Waterston     Billy Crudup     Danny McBride

       This version of Ridley Scott’s Alien series is to serve as an origin story, explaining how the alien came to be, and following up on his Prometheus production (2012), in which the origins of humankind were considered.  Alien:  Covenant elaborates on that theme and lets us know what happened to two of the characters that were in Prometheus and are now missing.

     It helps to have seen the previous renditions of Scott’s Alien films before viewing Covenant because it explains the origin of the alien in the first Alien movie and some of the characters are referenced here, although it’s not entirely necessary.  This could stand alone as a sci-fi thriller in its own right, showing the dynamics of a group of people on a space ship for long periods of time, their encounters with another planet and the beings inhabiting it, and the fascinating subject of human-like robots in human society.  

     Captain Oram, taking over from the previous captain’s sudden death is an unsympathetic character who appears far too weak to lead such an important mission.  This character takes the prize for being the most annoying.  He has significant disagreements with Daniels (Waterston), the wife of the former captain and someone who is much more forceful in personality.  That she seems more artificial has less to do with her acting than with the script and direction.  The most effective and intriguing are the two robots both played by Michael Fassbender, on whom the whole story turns.  Fassbender is incredibly good at playing both, who are similar, but with subtle differences and very discrepant aims.

     Exploring new worlds—especially in space—takes courage, and in Ridley Scott films moral grounding as well, because ethical choices crop up repeatedly.  One instance of that occurs when newly installed Captain Oram (Crudup) finds that the spaceship Covenant is near a planet showing life and the possibility of its being closer than the one they’re headed to, to start a settlement, prompts him to want to explore it.  Disagreeing, Daniels reasons that that would put too many of their crew and settlers at risk.  The dilemma is one of exploration with possibilities versus caution.  Another instance of critical choices occurs when Mother, the space ship’s computer, warns of dangers in getting too close to a planet where some of Covenant’s crew is already exploring, the pilots disagree about whether to go ahead or not.  But the spouse of one of the pilots is down there, and he insists on forging on down to save her.  Director Scott regards these dilemmas partly as a means to excite the viewer, but to elicit a certain amount of agony of conscience as well.

     Fans of the previous Alien movies, will relish the appearance of the alien creatures in this film, their appearances heralded by an ominous bug entering the human’s ear or nose, then bursting forth in a bloody birth.  This takes place on the planet Oram insisted on exploring, and they are accounted for by the appearance of a familiar figure.  These encounters are the most exciting and frightening scenes in the film, culminating in a furious battle on the return ship toward home.

A very interesting account of the origin of the aliens in earlier pictures.

Grade:  B                                    By Donna R. Copeland

THE MARTIAN

Matt Damon   Jessica Chastain   Jeff Daniels   Chiwetel Ejiofor   Kate Mara   Donald Glover   Sean Bean

          The Martian is so exciting, the 2 ½ hours fly by as the viewer is transfixed on the screen, first watching Mark Watney (Damon) using his considerable skills to survive all alone on Mars by producing water, setting up a farm for food, and making electronic equipment work for him; and second, watching as NASA and other scientists and the crew on a returning spaceship, the Hermes, make difficult decisions and work together to try to bring the abandoned astronaut home. 

        The crew of Hermes, led by Commander Lewis (Chastain) are busily collecting data on Mars when a fierce storm comes and blows Watney away.  Lewis risks her life in going out to try to find him, but can’t, and logically concludes he is dead.  In order to survive, the team needs to leave and head back to earth and they blast off.  However, Watney is not dead, and when he regains consciousness, he has a major wound he must treat and finds that he is on his own.  Oh, f---!

      For a good part of the film after that, we observe this very proud botanist problem-solving ways to get food and water, get battery power for the Rover, and attempt to reconnect communication lines with NASA.  Then we get good glimpses into organizational politics and see hypotheses formed, and policies made with insufficient information.  When astute observers see evidence that Mark is indeed alive, agreements have to be made about what to do with the situation and how wide the net of information to others should be spread, including the returning spaceship crew.  There are major setbacks along the way, and finally, the U.S. must rely on a foreign power for assistance. 

        I understand that the book on which the film is based is laden with technical information difficult for the average reader to wade through, so director Ridley Scott and writer Drew Goddard are to be congratulated on making the film just technical enough to heighten the drama of the plot.  Damon fits the role perfectly, with its blend of male-type analyses, wry humor, and drive for adventure.  He is the only one on screen for a significant amount of time and is entirely watchable throughout.  He deserves nominations at awards time. 

       The supporting cast members hold their own as well.  Jessica Chastain gives a solid performance as a female commander, Jeff Daniels as the bad-guy administrative head of NASA, Chiwetel Ejiofor as a scientist willing to take risks, Sean Bean as an advocate for major players lower on the hierarchy, Kate Mara as an astronaut with electronic know-how, and Michael Pena as an astronautic navigator and friendly competitor with Mark.  Kristen Wiig steps out of her usual comedy routine to be an able assistant to the head of NASA, Teddy Sanders.  Donald Glover is a stand out as Rich Purnell, a nerdy astrophysicist who stumbles out of bed after a late night of work and steps up with plans for rescue that make the higher-ups take notice. 

       Throughout, we get glimpses of the players’ personal lives, but the most entertaining and valuable aspects of the film have to be the ingenuity involved in survival and the ethical-moral-practical decisions that people in charge must make on an everyday basis and at critical times.  The point is well made that these are gut-wrenching decisions and that the best ones are those made by all involved, not just the people at the top.

An exciting, nerve-wracking, informative picture about what it takes to be a successful astronaut.

Grade:  A                                    By Donna R. Copeland