AGAVE: THE SPIRIT OF A NATION

     This is a documentary about the production of a spirit that captures the soul of a nation and inspires so many far beyond the borders of Mexico.  Directed by Nick Kovacic and Matthew Riggieri, it traces the distillation of the agave plant back 6,000 years in Mexico, predating the Spanish invasion. The Aztecs regarded it as sacred, and a means of communication with the gods.  In the film, spokespersons from three families involved in the production of tequila and mezcal express their passion for distilling the spirits, demonstrate some of the processes involved, and show how these are small family operations that continue to flourish.  This is despite issues such as the length of time it takes for an agave to mature and the fact that it’s difficult to interest younger people in the backbreaking work it requires.

     Distillers from Jalisco (Carlos Camarena) and Oaxaca (Graciela Angeles Carreno and Aguilino Garcia Lopez) show their operations and talk eloquently about the importance of protecting the land against overuse and lack of biodiversity, climate change, and people involved remaining loyal to their roots and traditions.  Camarena hopes that they don’t make the same mistake of full-scale industrialization that tequila producers have made; he sees a need to maintain a proper balance between heritage and industrialization.  In that vein, he brought back home two of his sons who had gone to the U.S. to work, convincing them they’d have a better life working in the family’s mezcal business.  They heeded his advice, and now everyone in the family works together, even the youngest son, still school aged.

     Agave:  The Spirit of a Nation would be an excellent way for someone unfamiliar with fine tequilas and mezcals to hear about its fascinating story and whet their taste buds to try some.  For those already convinced of their tantalizing flavors it will be fascinating to hear about their production techniques, and of their endless variety of tastes.

An engaging and informative account of what makes agave spirits special.

Grade:  A                                                By Donna R. Copeland

THE GRINCH

Voices of:  Benedict Cumberbatch     Cameron Seely     Rashida Jones     Tristan O’Hare

Angela Lansbury     Kenan Thompson     Pharrell Williams

     This production of the well-known story pleased the audience I was with, and there were lots of audible reactions from the kids, with applause at the end.  I think it might be a hit at Christmas-time.  The colorful animations, sets, and CGI effects; the Christmas messages that put presents and material things into perspective; and liberal doses of humor and good cheer make it the kind of film that appeals to children and their parents. Noteworthy for our times is its message about forgiveness of those who do wrong.  Although I never saw it, there was a 1967 version of the story (How the Grinch Stole Christmas) that was a huge success, which makes me question once again why remakes are made of already successful movies.   Has the technology progressed so much since 1967 that a new version is called for?

     At any rate, the expressive voices of the actors contribute to the overall quality of this version of The Grinch.  Although I had difficulty “placing” Cumberbatch’s Grinch, he did very well as usual, covering a range of emotions from a grouchy “Bah, Humbug!” to the lost, lonely boy of young Grinch, to his grudgingly being brought to heel about the whole Christmas thing.  This version of The Grinch accounts for his attitude based on his history.  Cameron Seely’s Cindy Lou Who is a stand out performance that makes us love and appreciate her spunkiness, caring, and leadership.  Bringing his comedic talent to bear, Kenan Thompson perfectly captures Bricklebaum, who sees/hears/speaks no evil, always putting a positive spin even on Grinch at his worst.  Finally, Pharrel Williams’ narration comes in at just the right times, with a clear voice to move the story along.

     Congratulations to screenwriters Michael LeSieur and Tommy Swerdlow for preserving the wholesome messages of the Seuss book, and my own special appreciation for their refraining from the usually obligatory fart and poop jokes in most movies for children.  It could be I missed something, but I think they avoided references to such things completely.  The music of Danny Elfman and the art direction of Colin Stimson further embellish the qualities above.  Directors Yarrow Cheney and Scott Mosier can be proud of the team they assembled and their leadership in making the movie sing (actually and metaphorically).  

     I don’t know whether kids will pick up on this or not, but it seems like they might ask where the real Santa was all this time. The Whos wake up on Christmas morning to find their holiday decorations trashed and their gifts missing. Where was the real Santa? Of course, the film is for those old enough to know that it’s the parents who bring the gifts to the house. Maybe small children who still believe in Santa shouldn’t see the film.  Parents, be warned.

Can the Grinch steal Christmas from Whoville?

Grade:  B                                    By Donna R. Copeland

BOY ERASED

Lucas Hedges     Nicole Kidman     Russell Crowe     Joel Edgerton

     Joel Edgerton is someone in the film world to pay attention to.  The Australian is well known to Americans for his acting in Loving, The Great Gatsby, and Black Mass, and as well for his writing/directing/producing talent in The Gift.  Now, he comes out with an award-worthy production informing us about conversion therapy, based on a memoir by Garrard Conley about his real-life experience.  Edgerton impresses us with his talent for telling a story with elements of experience and perspective from multiple points of view.  By the end of this movie, we have a real sense of the individual, family, religious community, and programmatic aims and aspirations of the participants.

     Lucas Hedges as Jared Eamons lives up to his promise as an actor who can play complex characters with subtlety and poignancy.  Here, he is a budding college student who is curious about the world, is compassionate and sincere, loves his parents, and wants to please them.  You see him naively trying to follow the script written for him in love, marriage, and career, primarily by his father, a pastor, and secondarily by his mother who goes along with her husband most of the time.  The beauty of the film is in its focus on Jared’s discoveries and transitions he must make on his own journey.  

     Boy Erased does just as well in depicting what a program in conversion therapy involves, which, to me, is essentially a brainwashing process.  Participants are coerced into revealing their innermost secrets and actions, which are labeled as sins, and then they are shamed and manipulated to behave in ways their “trainers” envision is “right.”  

     Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe as Jared’s parents exquisitely capture the essence of shock and anguish so many sincere, loving families undergo when they’re not prepared for the news and have been taught that homosexuality is vile and a sin.  These parents, like so many others, are not prepared for the paradox they must face: the child they know and love does not sync with their fundamental beliefs of what is good and honorable.

     Of course, Edgerton nails Victor Sykes, the head of the conversion program—part suave salesman, part corporate chief, and part pseudo-therapist—primarily interested in his investment.  He gives out clues about himself that are born out over time, another example of Edgerton’s skill.

     Music by the team Danny Bansi and Saunder Jurriaans plays a significant role in enhancing the dramatic ups and downs of this important film that is difficult to watch at times.  But sticking with it pays off.

A look at conversion therapy and a family’s experience of it.

Grade:  A                                              By Donna R. Copeland

THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS

Keira Knightley    Mackenzie Foy    Morgan Freeman    Helen Mirren

Misty Copeland     Matthew MacFadyen     Jayden Fowora-Knight

     The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is just as enchanting as it should be, and involves a twist.  In this case, the traditional hero’s journey is undertaken by a girl named Clara, the girl in Tchaikovsky’s popular “Nutcracker” ballet.  The script is based on E. T. A. Hoffman’s 1816 story (“The Nutcracker and the Mouse King”), in which the young girl Clara has a very special Christmas.

     The film opens with the Stahlbaum family preparing to go to the grandfather’s for their annual Christmas party.  The mother, Maria, has died, but has left presents for each of the three children.  Mr. Stahlbaum (MacFadyen) is clearly grieving, but is trying to make the best of it.  Louise and Fritz are thrilled with their gifts, but Clara (Foy) is puzzled by hers.  It’s some kind of egg, and as pretty as it is, Clara, a very smart inventive girl like her mother, sees that it requires a key, which she doesn’t have.  Enigmatically, there is a note from her mother, noting, “Everything you need is inside.”  Then Clara brightens; her grandfather very likely made it and gave it to her mother.  He should have the key.  Now, the socially shy girl is excited about going to the party.

     It’s after that the adventures start.  First, when Clara runs to her grandfather (Freeman) looking for the key, she solves a problem for him and presents him with hers.  He lets her know that she must search, saying, “Some locks are harder to pick than others.”  That will be an understatement!  As she is wont to do, Clara begins wandering around, and comes upon a whole new world, snowy and beautiful, and a certain tree that is lit up like no other.  She spies a key, but then…pesky mouse!

     As she continues her journey through this strange world, she comes upon Phillip (Fowora-Knight), a guard who warns her about going to the fourth world, which is very dangerous.  She’s still curious, and wants to forge on, and the guard is skeptical, but goes with her, more willingly when he discerns that she is a princess.  She knows nothing about that, but along the way, they meet the heads of the three realms:  Lands of Snowflakes, Flowers, and Sweets, and are entertained with a ballet that explains the realms, the fourth being one that belongs to Mother Ginger (Mirren) who has mice attending her and a reputation for being fearsome.
     A ballet is performed to tell the story of the four realms, with New York City American Ballet Theater's Misty Copeland making her debut in a movie as the lead dancer.  She was able to bring in the ABT choreographer, Liam Scarlett, and Director Lasse Hallstrom welcomed their input into which dances from the traditional Tchaikovsky Nutcracker Ballet to include and supplement them with more contemporary choreography.

     The bulk of the story is told by the Sugarplum Fairy (Knightley), from the Land of Sweets.  Whereupon, Clara—who is feeling more and more like a princess and even a queen—decides it is her duty to solve a mystery and do what she can to unite the four realms.  It’s exciting to see Clara come into her own, figuring out what is going on in the four realms, showing bravery in overcoming obstacles and betrayals, and achieving her goal and reuniting with her family as a changed person.

     Disney is often criticized for its shallowness in productions, but I think their story here should inspire young girls while it entertains with enough intrigue, captivating graphics and special effects to please its audience.

An inspiring story with a superb model for young girls.

Grade:  A                                        By Donna R. Copeland

CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME?

Melissa McCarthy     Richard E. Grant     Ben Falcone     Jane Curtin     Anna Devere Smith

     Nicole Holofcener (Enough Said, Please Give, Friends with Money) is one of my favorite screenwriters, and I think if the trajectory of this production had remained with her as director and Julianne Moore as the lead actress, I probably would have liked it better.  My problem with this production is in what has become Melissa McCarthy’s characteristic stamp on whatever character she plays.  She is a fine actress, and I keep hoping she will choose a role as a sharp woman with humor but without the zaniness like she was portrayed in Bridesmaids (that character lives on in all her subsequent performances), Identity Thief, and Tammy.  

     In this rendition, the additional writer Jeff Whitty and director Marielle Heller infuse Lee Israel’s character with much of the McCarthy trademark—a poorly adjusted miscreant whose mouth gets her into trouble, and someone who acts like a bumbling fool, but can clean up her act under pressure at the last minute. Therefore, the first part of the film was difficult to watch, as I saw the same figure McCarthy has played in her other movies.

     The movie is based on a memoir written by Lee Israel.  McCarthy’s character is Lee Israel, a writer who had published biographies of Tallulah Bankhead (actress) and Dorothy Kilgallen (game show panel member), which had been well received.  When she wrote the third one about Estee Lauder, it did not turn out so well for various reasons, and she turned to forgery and pilfering personal letters of famous people as a way of making a living.  It’s reported that she had a “difficult personality” and was an alcoholic, and these characteristics are inserted into this film.

     We see Lee get fired soon after the film begins for going against the rules (drinking on the job) and using foul language to a supervisor.  She lives alone with her beloved cat, apparently has no friends, is behind on her rent, and is essentially down and out.  When she realizes she has a personal letter from Katherine Hepburn, she sells it, and thereby gets the idea that selling letters from famous people could be lucrative.  It turns out, she is a good writer on old typewriters, and collectors buy up her work, often without question.

     Unfortunately, Lee takes up with a drinking buddy, Jack (Grant), who has a British silver tongue, and they become partners in crime.  But it eventually becomes disastrous for Lee in many respects, and she is thrown back upon herself once again.

     Melissa McCarthy’s talent as an actress is clearly visible in her expressions, demeanor, and her ability to inhabit a character—albeit with her own stamps clearly visible.  One never forgets she is watching McCarthy; unlike, say, Meryl Streep playing Julia Child. After a while, you only see Julia. 

     Supporting actor performances are strong:  Richard E. Grant as the sleazy, greasy Jack; Jane Curtin as Lee’s exasperated agent Marjorie; Dolly Wells as Anna, a buyer who reaches out to Lee for friendship; and Anna Deavere Smith as Lee’s erstwhile lover who gave up on her. The contributions of these actors are considerable.

     Can You Ever Forgive Me? becomes much more interesting in its last third, when true emotions are more evident in Lee, she becomes more sympathetic as her history is revealed, we get glimpses of some degree of remorse and a perspective outside herself, and she seems to be turning a corner.  (We’ll ignore for the moment the fact that this is undone by some of the very last scenes when she is once again sipping a scotch.) 

A film for Melissa McCarthy fans with her signature character.

Grade:  C                                    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

SUSPIRIA

Dakota Johnson     Tilda Swinton     Chloe Grace Moretz

Angela Winkler     Elena Fokina     Mia Goth     Jessica Harper

     Cumulative symbolism throughout this film overshadows the potentially interesting narrative.  Early on, we get scenes from 1977 Berlin when the Baader-Meinhof group is clashing with police in robberies, kidnapping, and assassinations; and Lufthansa flight 181 is highjacked to secure the release of Red Army Faction prisoners.  

     Soon after, we observe a young woman desperate to see her therapist banging on his door and incoherently reporting on strange events she has observed at her ballet academy.  He regards her as delusional, but later learns that she has been found missing, which is troubling to him, a man grieving for his wife, who has also disappeared during the political conflict.

     The connection between these events and the subsequent story about a coven of witches within the ballet academy will be puzzling to most viewers, although in broad terms, they all seem to relate to the film’s title, Suspiria, a Latin term meaning “sighs from the depths.”  Perhaps it all has to do with the suffering that occurs among lower figures in a hierarchy as a function of the struggles for power among leaders, something that can occur at state levels on down to performance academies. Importantly, sacrifice always seems to be involved.

     Within the ballet academy, the primary setting for the drama, lead dancers are getting freaked out by suspicious events occurring behind the rooms that are open to the dancers.  It’s surprising when a newcomer arrives for her audition and so impresses the academy staff, she is immediately awarded a lead role.  This is Susie (Johnson) who, despite being warned about dangers, maintains an air of self-assurance and aplomb.  The horror aspect of the film is gradually ramped up as it becomes more and more evident that the occult with violent manifestations is involved.

      The numerous dance scenes in general are very exciting (beautifully choreographed by Damien Jalet), the most artistic and dramatically successfully being when a soloist’s percussive, aggressive movements are cross-cut with scenes of another dancer being mutilated and killed by actions and movements that mirror the soloist’s.  On the other hand, as good as the final dance performance is, it is extended far too long in an agonizing way.

     Luca Guadagnino’s transition from last year’s romantic Call Me By Your Name to the political horror story of Suspiria is taking many by surprise.  It’s receiving mixed reviews and reactions, partly because of its artsy, intellectual nature, I think.  It would perhaps have been much better if Guadagnino had omitted the political references in the beginning, and focused only on the intrigues at the ballet academy.  That would also trim the film down from its lengthy 2½ hours. It’s much too long, especially as the final dance scene seems to go on forever.  

     This is probably Dakota Johnson’s best performance and biggest role in her career.  She is especially to be praised for executing all her dance scenes, using a double only about 10 percent of the time.  But beyond this, she captures the complex personality of Susie, a Mennonite from Ohio whose confidence in herself is up to that of a seasoned ballet student from New York, and yet she’s able to earn the goodwill and respect of her fellow dancers and teachers.  

     Tilda Swinton inevitably stuns with her ability to become any character in a drama, whether male or female, young or old.  Here, she is well suited for the role of the high-minded artistic director of the academy, the compassionate older male psychiatrist, and the hideously formed leader of the coven, Helena Markos.  

        Filmed by Guadagnino’s cinematographer for Call Me By Your Name, Suspiria is likewise a cinematic work of art.  

Heavy symbolism overshadows the plot about strange happenings in a ballet company.

Grade:  B-                               By Donna R. Copeland