Weekend Screen Scene: Gladiator II, Wicked

I was not a big fan of the first Gladiator back in 2000, and I figured it was just because I don't like movies above gladiators. I rewatched it in preparation for Gladiator II and can now safely say I don't like that movie because it's kind of boring! Aside from Joaquin Phoenix's performance, which, love it or hate it, isn't boring, it simply takes itself too seriously.  

Gladiator II does not take itself seriously, and in many ways it is absolutely ridiculous. And that's probably why I liked it.

Just how ridiculous? I'll just say this: the movie has sharks in battle mode, and a monkey elected by a mad emperor to be a Roman consul (a nomination that, after this week, doesn't actually seem that far-fetched). Those two things, along with plenty of anachronisms and implausible plot points steer the film into the realm of silliness, and Denzel Washington's scenery chewing, as a power hungry former slave who hopes to rule Rome, certainly doesn't steer it back on track. It almost made me feel a little sorry for star Paul Mescal, who certainly does seem to be taking the whole thing very seriously, because the insanity that surrounds him actual makes his character a tad underwhelming. And while I'm always happy to see Pedro Pascal (the movie is not lacking for movie star hotness, that's for sure) he felt a little under utilized.

Still, I came away from this very definitely entertained, though I'm not sure it will ultimately result in me thinking about the Roman Empire anymore than I already do, which is to say, never.

In case you've been living under a rock, or under a house that was dropped on you after a tornado, Wicked has arrived. If you're a fan of the stage musical, you've probably been counting the days to release, and have probably already seen it. And if you're not a fan...I'm not entirely sure the movie will make you one.

I read Gregory Maguire's Wicked when it came out, and saw the stage musical back in 2016, but for the life of me, I did not remember a lot of the story, so much of the movie was new to me, with entire characters and plot lines that I had no memory of. I bring this up because Wicked is so much movie, I was convinced they had to have put in all of these things I had no memory of just to pad out what is only the first part of this two part epic. Turns out, that's not the case! And being that the first act of the stage musical is definitely its best act, with the only two really memorable songs in the whole thing, I kind of worry about part two.

This origin story for the Wizard of Oz's, Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda the Good, stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda, and I've really got no fault with either of the performances; they both have the vocal and acting chops for their roles, and are both very engaging. But while it does feel like Erivo is really making the part of Elphaba her own, it does feel like Grande seems to be channeling Kristin Chenoweth a lot of the time. (Though that may simply raise the question: how much of Glinda was in the original writing of the part, and how much did Chenoweth instill of herself into it.) 

There is so much in the movie to marvel at, with sets that take inspiration from Gothic, Venetian, and Moorish, and costumes that will make both Barbie girls and gothy gals envious; at times it almost feels overwhelming. And overwhelming is probably the most apt word for the movie as a whole. At about the 90 minute mark of this 160 minute movie I began to feel a little exhausted, so perhaps it's a good thing part two won't show up for another year. And I just hope part two brings us more of Bowen Yang, who, as one of Glinda's school friends, is by far the funniest thing in the entire movie. I demand a Pfannee spin-off!

Weekend Screen Scene: Anora

While I've definitely enjoyed Sean Baker's movies, I don't think I've adored his work as much as many critics seem to; they always just miss the mark of excellence for me. For instance, I thought The Florida Project was marred by the performances of its non-actors, and Red Rocket was about 20 minutes too long.

Anora is probably my favorite film of his so far, elevated by Mikey Madison and her electric performance as the titular Anora, a twenty-three year old exotic dancer and sex worker in New York. One night, because she is the only dancer in her club who speaks Russian, she is encouraged to chat up a young Russian named Vanya, played to perfection by Mark Eidelstein. Vanya takes a liking to "Ani," ultimately paying her for sex, inviting her to his New Year's Eve party, and eventually offering her $15,000 to be his girlfriend for a week. That week leads to a Vegas marriage, which Vanya's oligarch parents back in Russia are none to happy about.

Anora feels almost like three movies. The first third is a fun, gritty take on a Pretty Woman type of story, a whirlwind of sex, drugs, parties, and lavish spending that's intoxicating to watch. The middle third, which brings in Russian and Armenian goons (all excellently played by Karren Karagulian, Vache Tovmasyan, and especially Yura Borisov, as Igor), feels like something from a Safdie brothers movie, a tense night full of potential violence as characters visit multiple New York locations. And the final third brings this Cinderella story to a realistic finish, with a final scene that brought me to tears.

Anora is a movie with faults, but every single performance in it is outstanding, making it easy to overlook some of the story's repetitions and weaknesses.

Weekend Screen Scene: Saturday Night

Saturday Night is a behind-the-scenes drama about the 90 minutes leading up to the 90 minute premiere of Saturday Night Live (then, just Saturday Night) on October 11th, 1974. The story centers on Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle) as he scrambles to get the bloated premiere down to a reasonable number of sketches and performances, deals with temperamental talent, and continually answers the question from the network execs "what is this show??" with, essentially, a shrug and a "wait and see."

And therein lies the biggest problem with Saturday Night, the movie: it centers on the man who was probably one of the least interesting people in that studio that night.

Of course, all the well known Not Ready For Prime Time Players make an appearance, with Cory Michael Smith's turn as a smug Chevy Chase and Lamorne Morris as Garrett Morris being the most impressive. (The irony that this version of Garrett Morris plays a bigger part in the fictionalized story of the premiere than the real Garett Morris did in the actual premiere is not lost.)

Guests on the show that night included George Carlin (Matthew Rhy) as the host; Billy Preston (Jon Batiste) and Janis Ian (Naomi McPherson) as the musical guests; Andy Kaufman; and Jim Henson's Muppets. But do NOT ask me why Nicholas Braun, the tallest actor alive, plays both Jim Henson and Andy Kaufman.

Watching the mercifully short movie play out, I kept pondering if anyone who has no idea about the history of the show would have any interest in this story, when I, someone who is pretty well versed in the history of the show, could only find mild entertainment in the various "impersonations" that were parading in front of me.

It all feels like a 90 minute build up to the good stuff, which never comes, unless you go home and watch that premiere episode (available to stream on Peacock, along with all 50 subsequent seasons). And it left me questioning director Jason Reitman's choice to champion someone for having a "vision" when that person's constant answer to the question "What even is this show?" is essentially "I don't know."

Weekend Screen Scene: Hold Your Breath

A few weeks back saw the release of Never Let Go, in which Halle Berry plays a possibly insane mother who is doing her best to protect her two children from a potential horror outside their remote cabin. This week brings us Hold Your Breath, in which Sarah Paulson plays a possibly insane mother doing her best to protect her two children from a potential horror outside their remote cabin. Brat Summer is over! It's time for Unstable Autumn!

Unlike Never Let Go's vaguely futuristic setting, Hold Your Breath is set during the dust bowl of the 1930's, and its potential horrors are multi-fold. It's the dust itself, both the cause and result of dried out crops, as it seeps into the home, causing illness. It's the "grey man," which may be a nothing but a spooky story, or may be what's actually hiding in all that dust. It's the "drifter," a man who claims to be a healer, but may be something worse. And it's mama, who has a history of doing dangerous things in her sleep.

Obviously, there's a lot going on in Hold Your Breath, and that's both what keeps it watchable, and makes it frustrating. Paulson holds it all together with her anxiety-inducing performance as the mom slowly losing her grip on...everything, and the supporting cast, including The Bear's Ebon Moss-Bachrach as the drifter, are excellent. Directors Karrie Crouse and Will Joines master the dusty visuals, which may have you instinctively reaching for an N94 mask. It's not the most original of tales, but as far as streaming entries in Unstable Autumn go, it's worth a watch.

Hold Your Breath is now streaming on Hulu.

Weekend Screen Scene: A Different Man, The Wild Robot

 

 

Last week saw the release of The Substance, a black horror comedy about fame, beauty standards, vanity, and identity. This week brings us A Different Man, a black comedy that also touches on vanity and identity, but this time the story centers on a male actor, not a woman.

Sebastian Stan stars as Edward, a struggling actor in New York city. He has neurofibromatosis, which causes extreme facial deformity, so his roles are relegated to things like industrial training films about how to handle tricky situations with disabled coworkers. He lives in a dilapidated apartment with a leaky ceiling, and is in love with his friendly and perky playwright neighbor Ingrid (Renate Reinsve of The Worst Person in the World). When he's approached to partake in a drug trial that may cure his disease, he agrees. The drug works, though the transformation is not pleasant (and is pretty gruesome to watch).

The second half of the movie finds Edward now living a "normal" life, working as a hot shot real estate agent. But his past comes back in the form of Ingrid, now producing her play, and Oswald (Adam Pearson of Under the Skin) a happy and popular man with the same facial deformities that once plagued Edward.

While Stan's facial deformities are the creation of talented makeup artists, Adam Pearson actually does have neurofibromatosis. For both of them, facial movements are limited, and their eyes are partially obscured, yet both are able to give truly memorable performances despite these limitations. 

 

Stan's pre-transformed Edward is slouched and nebbish, clearly trying his best to remain as invisible as possible, but he also exudes a shy charm that his neighbor Ingrid definitely finds herself drawn to. Stan is really, really good in this. 

 

Pearson's Oswald is Edward's complete opposite. He's friendly and gregarious, always wearing something loud, and when he enters a room, he's the center of attention, not because people are horrified but because people are drawn to him.

This is something Edward cannot understand, and the film does some interesting things with his resulting crisis of confidence. It also does some things that are a little muddled, taking the plot near the end of the film in directions I wasn't completely on board with. Still, the performances by Sebastian Stan and Adam Pearson more than make up for any faults of the plot.

 

The animated featured The Wild Robot is based on a series of children's books by Peter Brown, about a futuristic task robot who finds itself on a forest island devoid of humans after a container ship loses its cargo.

Lupita Nyong'o voices the robot "ROZZUM unit 7134," (eventually just "ROZ"), and damn, is there nothing this woman can't do? She's perfect, imbuing ROZ with both robotic imperatives and maternal warmth as she finds herself adopting an abandoned gosling she names Brightbill, accepting motherhood as another task to complete, teaching him to swim and to fly so that eventually he'll be able to leave.

 

The first 10 minutes of the film only feature the voice of ROZ, and I was wondering if it may end up being an entire movie of just a robot talking to animals that don't understand it, but the plot finds a way to work talking animals into the story, so we also get Pedro Pascal as a Fink the Fox, Catherine O'Hara as an opossum mom, and Mark Hamil as Thorn the grizzly bear.

The Wild Robot is one of the most beautiful animated films of the year, with aesthetics that are closer to the hand drawn animation of classic Disney than to most contemporary CGI animated films. It's also one of the most emotionally touching, absolutely earning my tears by the end. It will easily go down as one of the best of the year.