Last Night in Soho scores lots of style points, and features an intriguing setup — but by the end, the re-hashed and simplistic plot is a letdown that makes you realize how great a film like Promising Young Woman — no slouch on style there either, by the way — is.
Beyond that, Last Night is just kinda draggy and uninspired. It was done by Edgar Wright, whose previous picture Baby Driver was vastly superior. Too bad, because in the early going I was thoroughly enjoying this movie. But you’ve got to close, not just open. 5/10
Comparison Notes: zombie movies, Nightmare Alley [Haven’t seen Nightmare Alley, but these are my contemporaneous notes: Last Night feels like it’s channeling a weak-water version of Nightmare Alley (or IS it?)], Bad Times at the El Royale, The Uninvited (HIGHLY recommended), Ich Seh Ich Seh, Mulholland Drive, doppelganger & haunted spirit movies generally
You know when you’re watching a movie that’s slow to start moving (i.e., the worst kind of movie), and, then, just when you think it’s about to start picking up, it just continues to peter out instead? Think Tom Papa: I have.
I had my reservations when I saw the trailer and I was like, well, the Green Knight character is some sort of Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy rip-off, but hey, it’s getting good reviews, so I’ll give it a shot. The Times was absolutely in love with Dev Patel’s exceptionally monotonic and uninspired performance, which is, admittedly, well suited to this uninspired film.
I’ve said more than I wanted to about this one. 3/10
Comparison Notes: Mother!, The Last Temptation of Christ, The Princess Bride, Noah, The Revenant
I recall that when Miller’s Crossing first arrived on screens there was a to-do about it, and ever since then I’ve always considered — without ever having watched it — a grand statement picture. You can have those opinions about films without ever seen them. I’ve never seen The Godfather, but I understand it’s importance and landmark status. I also thoroughly understood the magnitude of Lawrence of Arabia before and after viewing.
Nobody would compare the stature of Miller’s Crossing with that of Lawrence of Arabia, but they share one big commonality: they both have stature, and they are both overrated disappointments.
Which is to say that as great as some may consider Miller’s Crossing, it is in fact one of the Coens’ lesser films.
The biggest problem is that I did not give a flying f- about any of these characters. Mad Men and Breaking Bad taught us that characters don’t have to be sympathetic, pleasant or nice to hold the audience absolutely rapt. In Fargo, Jerry Lundegaard was, I think, very sympathetic if otherwise a loser. No matter how characters are shaded, they have to be compelling. In Miller’s Crossing, we have none of that.
There’s something a little enigmatic about Gabriel Byrne’s lead, and a little too with the supporting characters, but not nearly enough to hold the story.
And there were some logic issues, for example how realistic is it to have the crap beat out of your main character on a regular basis just to see him skipping-to-the-Lou my darling a minute later? Wikipedia cites an “intricate plot” – but I think it’s all too comic-booky without intending to be so. Almost like a farce of the hard-boiled gangster flick while trying to be all too serious.
Having said all that, there are some terrific sequences, such as one where a hit is being attempted at the home of a rival mob boss. The relentless beat of machine gun fire drives through a brilliantly crafted scene which left me agape. And I admit there is something monumental about Miller’s Crossing. But plot-wise, story-wise, and character-wise, there is also something very small. 5/10
* * *
A note on one of my favorite and tragically short-lived — in more ways than one — character actors, J. E. Freeman, a bright spot of Miller’s Crossing. I first saw him as the business-only — but with a comic evil edge — Marcellus Santos in David Lynch’s thrill ride Wild at Heart. A few years later I had the pleasure of seeing him in Jeunet’s greatly underrated Alien: Resurrection. He was SO good — you absolutely relish those scenes as does he.
Tragically, he passed away too young in 2014 at age 68. Wish he had been in a lot more movies.
* * *
Comparison Notes: L.A. Confidential (which I also didn’t like), The Untouchables, Cookie’s Fortune, any other gangster/mob film.
I had a number of notes on the disappointing Emma., which was the last movie I saw in-theater. All my thoughts on this insignificant film seem as trivial as the film itself in the wake of the coronavirus collapse. The biggest note on this film is its theater viewing and the accompanying visit to Stater Bros. that Friday evening, March 6, when shelves were just starting to run empty.
With that, my notes on Emma.:
“Trifle” unto itself cannot support a film. The central problem is that there is no real plot, no story thread weaving through the picture. None of any import, that is. The final act, “Summer,” does provide salvation — to a degree. Things of mild interest happen then. And throughout, the whole smarmy smug entitled attitude exuded by Emma (the character) is something to relish, I concede.
I also liked the graphic style of the titles, until I learned that the period (“Emma.”) is explained by the director as to signify a “period piece.” Get it? Ha ha. So clever. As lame an explanation as the overall effort put forth by Emma. 4/10
First off, a small quibble on the title. The French is Portrait de la jeune fille en feu, or portrait of a young lady/girl. No big deal, but is it too much to ask to have the same title? Does everything have to be marketing? The movie’s in French, so stick to the translation.
That aside, I liked this movie. I very much liked it, though I’m not over-the-moon as so many critics seem to be. Peter Travers:
Some critics have referred to the film as “Call Me by Your Name with corsets.” But Sciamma, whose exemplary work on Water Lilies, Tomboy and Girlhood mark her as a major talent, paints the movie with unrivaled delicacy and feeling. From the costumes by Dorothée Guiraud to the stunning camera work by Claire Mathon (who deservedly won the cinematography award from the New York Film Critics Circle), Portrait of a Lady on Fire is enthralling on every level. In her hypnotic and haunting film, alive with humor, heartbreak and swooning sensuality, Sciamma has created nothing less than a timeless work of art
A little much, methinks. Recalls how critics tripped over themselves with Much Ado About Nothing. Very different film here, of course. And not to give any more credit to the dismal Academy Awards than necessary, but the French didn’t even enter Portrait as their official submission — so they didn’t consider it some great masterpiece. Timeless, masterpiece — give me a break.
But did I mention I really liked it? 8/10
PS: That would put it in the top 5 of 2019, but I am annoyed at all this late release nonsense. When it’s time to make my 2020 list, I’ll decide where to put Portrait.
…not The Favourite. However, the period aspect of it is well done, and it engages from start to finish: its greatest accomplishment. I also very much liked the use of super-wide angle lenses. The story stumbled in the home stretch, and the end left me dissatisfied. In other words, there could have been more, but it wasn’t bad. I suppose you could say that about any movie in the 3 to 8 range.
How’s that for cogent analysis. 7/10
PS To clarify, The Favourite may well be “the” favorite film this year, in the sense that it is sure to rack up many awards including very possibly the big one. It’s just a couple pegs south of my favorite.
Comparison Notes: Dangerous Liaisons / Valmont / Cruel Intentions, Mother, Requiem for a Dream, Ridicule (1996), The Little Hours
Lady Macbeth started and ran strongly for about the first two-thirds, before running into territory that was a bit mishandled, and less than optimal even if handled perfectly. Still though, very good and fully engrossing — and the biggest reason is the film’s star. Adam Graham, The Detroit News:
With quiet menace, [Florence] Pugh chews through director William Oldroyd’s handsomely composed period thriller like a rat gnawing through a wall. She’s a force to be reckoned with, and her nightmare stare lingers longer than any poor sap who dares to get in her way.
This brilliantly feminist British indie film plunges a cold, sharp knife into the back of bonnet dramas.
Indeed. A lot of (evil) fun to be had here. Maybe think of as a companion piece to The Little Hours, which is sticking with me enough that I’m considering bumping it up a notch. Every time I think of it I smile inside. As for Lady Macbeth: 8/10
Though very funny, “The Little Hours” remains low-key and subtle in its effects. There’s no winking or nudging, no straining for laughs.
He thought it more funny than I, but there were a number of good laughs, and I liked the tone. Tone is important. Stephanie Zacharek, Time:
The Little Hours coasts along breezily on the oddball rhythms of its actors. The cast also includes John C. Reilly and Molly Shannon, who cap the whole crazy enterprise in a surprisingly tender coda. It doesn’t hurt that Baena and cinematographer Quyen Tran shot the picture in sun-washed Tuscany. Looking for a break from the Black Death, or even just the summer heat? The Little Hours is just the thing.
Not much to see here, folks. Not nearly as much as you would think. I was so very much looking forward to The Witch, and so even the more disappointed. An exceptionally strong pot of potential, but nothing exceptional about the movie. The Witch is not without its assets, but this one’s a pass — another miss by A24. 5/10
Not to sound lame-brained, but Hail, Caesar! is the most literal example of a FEEL GOOD MOVIE in recent memory. I was loathe to go see it, based on the ads & trailers. I made avoiding it something of a quest, Coens be damned! Plus I had this running theory of Clooney + Coens = STAY AWAY! But it seemed to have legs. After a month or so something snapped; I broke down and headed with great gusto to the cinema.
And wow do the Coens know how to put together a movie. Hail, Caesar! is a thoroughly entertaining, sumptuously gorgeous picture made by absolutely consummate filmmakers at the top of their game. My only fault was a lack of any real dramatic peril: this is not Fargo or No Country for Old Men. Otherwise we’d be talking 9-territory; as it is, on the high end of 8/10.
Sit close to the big screen for this one — it’s a visual treat, I found much more so than even The Grand Budapest Hotel.
Last Night in Soho scores lots of style points, and features an intriguing setup — but by the end, the re-hashed and simplistic plot is a letdown that makes you realize how great a film like Promising Young Woman — no slouch on style there either, by the way — is. 
And wow do the Coens know how to put together a movie. Hail, Caesar! is a thoroughly entertaining, sumptuously gorgeous picture made by absolutely consummate filmmakers at the top of their game. My only fault was a lack of any real dramatic peril: this is not Fargo or No Country for Old Men. Otherwise we’d be talking 9-territory; as it is, on the high end of 8/10.
movies remark 