SAVAGE SCORECARD 2019: MY TOP TEN FAVORITE FILMS OF 2019

SAVAGE SCORECARD 2019: MY TOP TEN FAVORITE FILMS OF 2019

Here they are, all in descending order all the way to my favorite film of 2019. Please enjoy!!!

10. "AVENGERS: ENDGAME" DIRECTED BY ANTHONY & JOE RUSSO
The one and only finale of 2019 that completed its journey with equal parts triumph, tragedy and tremendous presentation and execution. Anthony & Joe Russo's sprawling, lavish, wonderfully ambitious and downright rapturous three hour "Avengers: Endgame," the conclusion to not only their sensationally devastating "Avengers: Infinity War" (2018) but the entire 22 film cycle of the Marvel Cinematic Universe thus far, essentially performed the impossible with inventive, impassioned storytelling that demonstrated that the over-stuffed and exhausting superhero film genre can indeed extend itself far beyond being theme parks rides and become breathtaking cinema to behold.
(Originally reviewed April 2019) 

9. "BLINDED BY THE LIGHT" DIRECTED BY GURINDER CHADHA
Breezy and profound, Gurinder Chadha's "Blinded By The Light" light-footed, life affirming triumph. Set during the late 1980's England under Margaret Thatcher's reign, Gurinder Chadha deftly executes a coming of age and generational comedy/drama, a sharp cultural critique, an empathetic exploration of racial self-identity, a tender and tense Father/son dynamic, and most of all, an earnest ode to the power of the written word, our intense and individualistic connection to art and a tribute to the music and lyrics of Bruce Springsteen as experienced by the film's main protagonist, a teenage Pakistani-British young man and aspiring writer.

While Springsteen's music  plays rapturously throughout the film, Chadha firmly ensures that her film is no mere "jukebox musical," for as Springsteen's music is the catalyst that propels the film forwards, without our teenaged hero (so well played by Viveik Kaira), there would be no movie at all. To that end, Chadha has delivered a multi-layered experience that looks and feels like a teen film from the 1980's while using its socio/political backdrop as a mirror to our current turbulent political landscape. And even further, the film is an absolute joy!!

This is the film that Danny Boyle's "Yesterday" wished it had been and frankly, should have been.
(Originally reviewed September 2019)

8. "MILES DAVIS: BIRTH OF THE COOL" DIRECTED BY STANLEY NELSON
Enormously entertaining and unquestionably essential in our continuing exploration into the peerless, inimitable and timeless artistic complexity and combustible life of Miles Davis, Stanley Nelson's superlative documentary works seamlessly as both primer to novices and enhancement to lifelong devotees.

Meticulously and lovingly researched and then, beautifully contextualized into a richly flowing and briskly paced narrative always feels full, complete and revealing. No small feat as the life and music we regard throughout this film could have easily stuffed three documentaries as it feels that Miles Davis lived a series of lives within his 65 years. Beyond even this success, Nelson allows his film to transcend the music bio-pic" genre by also exploring themes of child abuse, depression, addiction, toxic masculinity, female subjugation and empowerment, Black masculinity and Black excellence while all set to a soundtrack starring one of the most untouchable bodies of work.

Cool, sophisticated, angry and clean, Stanley Nelson's "Miles Davis: Birth Of The Cool" is resplendent, raw and remarkable. 
(Originally reviewed November 2019)

7. "JOJO RABBIT" DIRECTED BY TAIKA WAITITI
My estimation of this film has only grown since the two times I have seen it and I am already looking forward to experiencing it again. Taika Waititi's self described "anti-hate satire" is like something akin to a Wes Anderson movie as the surroundings feel to be of a completely different universe but the emotions, motivations and sentiments are 100% real.

In "Jojo Rabbit," we have the tale of a lonely 10 year old aspiring member of the Hitler youth seen entirely through his eyes, giving the proceedings a disturbingly hallucinogenic quality, especially since a vision, albeit ridiculous, of Adolf Hitler himself (as played by Waititi) serves as the boy's imaginary friend. Throughout the film, our titular protagonist finds his worldview forever altered upon the discovery of a teenage Jewish girl hiding within the attic of his home and hidden there by his own Mother (Scarlett Johansson in one of her warmest, most playful performances). His ensuing relationship with the girl instigates a moral quandary of severe complexities and consequences and Waititi handles all of the comedy and sacrifice with a steady directorial hand, a gentle blend of satire and silliness and a sobering moral fortitude making for one of the most unique and singular films of the year.
(Originally reviewed December 2019)

6. "THE FAREWELL" DIRECTED BY LULU WANG
Lulu Wang's tenderly melancholic film about an aspiring Chinese-American writer (richly played by Awkwafina) living in New York City, struggling with impending grief over the news of a terminal illness diagnosis for her beloved China based Grandmother (the superbly warm Zhao Shuzen), is further compounded by her family's collective and culturally bound wishes to shield the news from the Grandmother is absolutely beautiful.

Pure of heart and intent, smartly matter-of-fact and without any shred of prefabricated emotions and situations, Wang has delivered a slice-of-life film that allows every single moment to live and breathe as if we were watching a documentary and through Awkwafina's character, it is also a film about physical and emotional displacement as we regard China and Chinese culture through her Americanized eyes. Superbly individualist to the Chinese/Chinese-American experience yet simultaneously universal to the heart and soul that exists within ALL families, Lulu Wang's "The Farewell" is exquisitely perfect.
(Originally reviewed August 2019)

5.  "JOKER"  DIRECTED BY TODD PHILLIPS
Appropriately and uncompromisingly horrifying while also surprisingly empathetic, Todd Phillips' "Joker," his origin story of the figure who would become Batman's arch nemesis is the anti-comic book movie by existing within a real world populated by real psychological and societal trauma.

A towering Joaquin Phoenix stars as the miserable Arthur Fleck, whose downfall (or ascension) is chronicled not through special effects and all manner of escapist pyrotechnics but through the lens of a cinematic world clearly inspired by Martin Scorsese's "Taxi Driver" (1976), "The King Of Comedy" (1983) and "Bringing Out The Dead" (1999), where societal and psychological decay run hand-in-hand. Phillips' film, while set in a world that appears as the late 1970's/early 1980's, holds its cinematic finger upon the precarious pulse of the rancorous 21st century with all of its mounting fear, anxiety, and rage and entirely housed within the film's titular character study that displays how the chaos of the mind explodes into chaos in the streets.
(Originally reviewed October 2019)

4. "US"  DIRECTED BY JORDAN PEELE
First things first, it is a complete awards season crime that Lupita N'yongo's searing performance(s) were entirely ignored! Beyond that, Jordan Peele demonstrated that he is no flash in the pan that he brilliantly evaded a sophomore slump, with an even darker nightmare than his outstanding juggernaut of a debut feature with "Get Out" (2017). This time, Peele's story of an affluent African-American family being terrorized by a quartet of red jumpsuit wearing, scissor wielding dopplegangers served as a chilling societal warning about our own individualistic and collective sense of duality and how our darkest natures may be conspiring against us or inversely how our better natures are fighting for survival. With a broader visual palate and a concluding image that shuddered me into silence from the theater, all the way home and with every subsequent viewing, Jordan Peele's "Us" is horror film of great humanity yet filtered through relentless doom.
(Originally reviewed March 2019)

3. "AMAZING GRACE" DIRECTED BY SYDNEY POLLACK/RESTORATION PRODUCED BY ALAN ELLIOT
Filmed in 1972 yet shelved for 47 years due to a filmmaking error, "Amazing Grace," the live performance which was recorded for what remains the highest selling gospel album ever made is a documentary of riches and revelations, as well as a posthumous celebration of the life and artistry of one of the world's greatest voices in the late Aretha Franklin.

And what an artist she was as her untouchable voice and superlative skills certainly did seemed to be blissfully influenced by something not of the material world. Franklin, who, for this project, and already at the height of her fame, returned to her gospel roots with a power that did indeed feel designed of her spirit for the sole purpose of directly touching the spirits of any and all who listened. Her collaboration with the iconic Reverend James Cleveland, the Southern California Community Choir and her own band was stunning in its seamlessness, agility and ability, after all of these years to being able to elicit physical responses (goose pimples, chills, tears, etc...) signifying a greater force at work, thus making this performance a treasure, a gift and a jewel that we are able to see in 2019.

Beyond the performances themselves, the film also works as a powerful document of the 1970's Civil Rights Era, with Franklin's song choices serving as personal messages to the Black community and the soundtrack and soul of the movement as a whole and to, again, have this document right here and now in 2019, with its visual messages of Black excellence upon display, we hold something that can be utilized to keep ourselves marching forwards in these even darker times. 
(Originally reviewed May 2019)

2. "PARASITE" DIRECTED BY BONG JOON-HO
For the purposes of t hose of you who still may not have seen this film, I will keep my remarks to a minimum and in doing so, I have given you quite a mammoth of a reason as to why Bong Joon-ho's Parasite" is an absolute masterpiece of a film that reminds us miraculously of what it means to go to the movies.

This story of two families, one wealthy, one poor and what occurs when they intersect gave me a feeling that has been of such rarity and kind of unlike anything I have seen since Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction" (1994). The level of storytelling, direction, performances and especially the set design, as this specific element exists as much of a character in the film as the characters themselves, is unquestionably masterful. From its cultural satire to its Hitchcock-ian level of suspense and surprise as the way the film begins does not in any way prepare you for how it unfolds, reveal and concludes...and yet, as I think of it now (and without spoiling) it truly feels like the culmination of shared themes from Jordan Peele's "Us" and Rian Johnson's "Knives Out."

Foreign and familiar, intimate and universal, claustrophobic and cavernous, hilarious and horrifying, Bong Joon-ho's "Parasite" is cinematic storytelling at its most feverishly original.
(Originally reviewed November 2019)

1. "1917"  DIRECTED BY SAM MENDES
As I wrote in my original review, Sam Mendes' "1917," his World War I epic presented to appear as if filmed in one of two single take sequences, is also a masterpiece. It is the best motion picture in his filmography and for me, it is one of the finest films of the decade of 2010-2019.

The story of two young British soldiers given a mission to hand deliver a message that would save 1600 troops from a massacre, including one of the soldier's older brother is deceptively simple as it is the framework for the cinematic grandeur upon display that merges the intimate with the epic. It is a revelatory piece of art as this film contains multi-layers of juxtapositions, from the story,itself to the nature of the film as a whole, that we are fully engaged with the journey fraught with the random violence and carnage of war while also being superbly awed with the meticulous, soaring filmmaking of the sort that inspires us to shout out loud, "How dd they do that??????" No small feat in an age when special effects are no longer special and cinematic spectacle is commonplace to the point of being boring.

Sam Mendes' "1917" is artful, graceful, mammoth, and often just flabbergasting making it a movie that again reminds of why we go to the movies.
(Originally reviewed January 2020)

SAVAGE SCORECARD 2019: NUMBER 11

Now, I present the second installment of my annual "Savage Scorecard" series in which I detail the films of 2019 which all sit at "Number 11," all films that just did not make the final Top Ten list. Afterwards, you will find the film that I have crowned as the Worst Film I saw in 2019.

As always, if you wish to read the entire review, I have listed the month in which you will be able to find the original postings.

SAVAGE SCORECARD 2019: NUMBER 11

"A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD"  DIRECTED BY MARIELLE HELLER
Vital, resonant, tender and deeply empathetic, Director Marielle Heller's film concerning the relationship between a cynical journalist undergoing an existential crisis (Matthew Rhys) and his interview subject, who is none other than Mr. Fred Rogers himself (Tom Hanks), is richly patient and quietly wonderful, as if it was written by Mr. Rogers himself.

In fact, part of the film's excellence rests within the film's structure which Heller has fashioned to almost exist as an episode of "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood," complete with the miniature sets as transitions throughout as well as its meticulous re-creations of the sets, television studio and all of the elements of the Land of Make Believe. Yet beyond its aesthetic triumphs, this is a deceptively "little" film as it does possess a large reach and depth. Through its wisely understated approach, the film is a celebration of the act of listening and having our true selves being heard and accepted without question as we grow and again an increasingly anxiety ridden world. Yes indeed, the film works as an antidote to the rancor and vitriol of our current 21st century landscape, a gentle and all inclusive Sunday sermon without any stitch of dogma tenderly pushing all of us to care for ourselves and the people and world around us. 
(Originally reviewed December 2019)

"DAVID CROSBY: REMEMBER MY NAME" DIRECTED BY A.J. EATON
It was just this close to making the Top Ten!!! Director A.J. Eaton's debut feature is a first rate documentary that transcends the rock and roll documentary genre by delving further and deeper than the standard chronological driven fare and emerging into a stirring narrative that is as warm, engaging and enveloping as it is unflinching and raw.

While we do explore the primary subject matter of David Crosby's legendary career as a pioneer of the Laurel Canyon sound of the early 1970's plus his work within The Byrds, Crosby, Stills Nash (and Young), as well as a solo artist, who continues to record creative peak albums and tour despite his failing health, Eaton, working in collaboration with Producer/Interviewer Cameron Crowe, builds into the film's grander themes of what makes and therefore, breaks a life.  Now at the age of 77 and having burned bridges with every single one of his former collaborators and friends, the film finds David Crosby at a stage where he is possibly seeking some sense of atonement as there is less of his life in front of him compared to what is behind. Through the entirety, Crosby exists as one hell of a raconteur, fully engaging, refreshingly matter-of-fact and brutally honest. And yet, there still sits that mischievous look in his eye, making us question for split seconds if it is all an act. A quietly wrenching confessional of a rock and roll lion deep in Winter.
(Originally reviewed September 2019)

"KNIVES OUT" DIRECTED BY RIAN JOHNSON
One of the year's most enormously entertaining films. Rian Johnson, who previously enriched the "Star Wars" saga with his controversial, polarizing and as far as I am concerned, absolutely brilliant "The Last Jedi" (2017), he has all but resurrected the all-star murder mystery with a crackerjack screenplay, tight direction and that aforementioned all-star cast, who are clearly relishing every moment on screen, especially Daniel Craig as the intrepid Private Investigator who is determined to solve the case of the murder of celebrated mystery author Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) and the luminous newcomer Ana de Armas as the young nurse at the center of it all.

For those of you who still have not seen the film, I refuse to say any more so as not to produce any spoilers. And that is probably the very best thing that I can say about "Knives Out," as it is exceedingly the type of film that is filled with a sense of joyous surprise and that you also wish to race to tell everyone to go see for themselves. And yes, that final shot in the film is KILLER!! 
(Originally reviewed December 2019)

"ONCE UPON A TIME...IN HOLLYWOOD"
 DIRECTED BY QUENTIN TARANTINO
I would not be surprised if you are surprised that this film is not in my Top Ten of the year, just as it is for so many established film critics, a sentiment that is being enormously advanced by all of the awards season love that is flowing in its direction. It is an extremely strong film with the caliber of first rate performances, meticulous production design, rapturous cinematography and a brilliant end-to-end musical soundtrack we would expect from a Quentin Tarantino experience, which this time, makes his lovingly presented ode to Hollywood circa 1969, easily his most affectionate film to date, serve as nothing less than his version of George Lucas' "American Graffiti" (1973), with the joys, insecurities and the end of the innocence all firmly intact.

I have seen the film a few times now, each viewing growing in admiration than the one before and still, for me, in a career that has delivered no less than five masterpiece efforts--"Pulp Fiction" (1994), "Kill Bill" (2003/2004), "Inglourious Basterds" (2009), "Django Unchained" (2012) and "The Hateful Eight" (2015)--"Once Upon A Time...In Hollywood" just is not one of them.

Hollywood loves movies about itself and one would indeed be hard pressed to find a more devotional one, a film that uses its language and artistry to again use cinematic revisionist history to save the life of Sharon Tate. That being said, it was a film where Tarantino seemed to be a bit too lost in his own reverie as it meandered more than necessary making the entirety feel as if it was in need of editing, an emotion I have not once felt in a Tarantino film. And even so, I have to applaud him as for his ninth film arriving essentially 30 years after his debut feature, Quentin Tarantino can still surprise and upend me as he has created a film that is unlike anything else in his filmography while also existing as a document of why he loves and makes films in the first place.
(Originally reviewed August 2019)

"QUEEN & SLIM" DIRECTED BY MELINA MATSOUKAS
Multi-layered, meditative and maddening, Melina Matsuokas' atmospheric lament for what it means to be living while Black in 21st century America as our titular characters (portrayed by Jodie Turner-Smith and the haunting Daniel Kaluuya) undergo a life-altering odyssey that begins as a bad date, continues with the accidental fatal shooting of a White police officer by their hands and the subsequent manhunt, which makes for an experience like Arthur Penn's "Bonnie And Clyde" (1967) by way of Ridley Scott's "Thelma & Louise" (1991).

Yet, through the film's somber, sobering narrative, which is indeed an up to the second commentary of the Black Lives Matter movement, Matsoukas and Screenwriter Lena Waithe have also fashioned an impassioned yet evocative and nuanced exploration of the illusion of freedom as well as a variety of prejudices and stereotypes as held and often upended by both protagonists, characters met along the way and for all of us in the audience. And in the role of Queen's Uncle, a PTSD suffering Iraq war veteran and now a pimp, Bokeem Woodbine is especially magnetic and deserving of a film all his own.
(Originally reviewed December 2019)

"STAR WARS: EPISODE IX-THE RISE OF SKYWALKER"  DIRECTED BY J.J. ABRAMS
No, this was not my favorite "Star Wars" film. It was easily the weakest entry in the current trilogy and furthermore, out of all of the films--from the original trilogy, the prequel trilogy, a stand-alone and one origin story--this film was truthfully the very first time, when I did feel a certain sense of artistic/storytelling struggle and I actually wished for the movie to slow down a hair just to allow myself to catch up and for everything to resonate properly.

Yes, this ninth entry in the Skywalker Saga was problematic. Not surprisingly due to the difficulties in wrapping up a complete story that one did not originate himself, and also due to reports of Disney's behind the scenes meddling. But, all of that being said, J.J. Abrams' finale to the tale that began 42 years ago was a titanic effort. Resoundingly well made, furiously executed, performed with verve and passion from the entire cast and completely reverential to the galaxy far, far away that George Lucas built.

Despite its flaws, "The Rise Of Skywalker" is a space opera/fairy tale that is encased in the love that Abrams has always held for it, which mirrors the love generations upon generations of fans have held for it as well. Our connections to these characters and this story of a family, merged with all manner of misfits, outcasts, loners, and cast aways who have all found each other to join forces, to become unlikely heroes against tyranny, always holding each other upright while standing upon the shoulders of all who came before them. It is that very love of hope that the act of love itself will be the only thing to save us from the end of of all things, and in that message, we have been given a film of poignancy and even poetry.

Enthralling, excessive, exhilarating and profoundly emotional with one grace note after another, I found my eyes flowing with tears over and over again as this film brought this mountainous saga to a close.
(Originally reviewed December 2019)

THE WORST FILM OF 2019

"YESTERDAY" DIRECTED BY DANNY BOYLE
The concept is ingenious. The existence and knowledge of The Beatles is inexplicably wiped from existence save for the mind of one person, a struggling singer/songwriter who soon becomes famous plagiarizing the eternal music of the Fab Four as his own.

The execution, on the other hand, is unforgivable.

Danny Boyle's "Yesterday" is a complete failure of a film as it is housed with this aforementioned ingenious concept and then, never for an instant gets itself beyond the idea stage...and frankly, never seemed remotely interested in doing so in the first place. Honestly, a film that concerns itself with The Beatles but never harbors or expresses an opinion about why The Beatles are important and why it would be such a tragedy to have a world that never knew they existed. It is as if Boyle and his Screenwriter Richard Curtis felt that since we all know the songs anyway, that would be enough. But knowing and loving Beatles songs does not make a movie. 

Despite a terrific leading performance by Himesh Patel as the singer/songwriter, "Yesterday" is a film that never bothers to try, making for a completely wasted opportunity. The elements of music business satire, while fine, is toothless and obvious. And to that end, even the satire plus The Beatles felt to be entirely abandoned in favor of a dead as a door-nail love story between Patel and the lovely Lily Allen, sandbagged with a criminally underwritten role, that wouldn't have made the cut as an outtake in Curtis' own "Love Actually" (2003). And even then, do not get me stated on a bizarre sequence late in the film designed to conjure tearful whimsy but I felt to be shamelessly cheap and tasteless. 

Danny Boyle's "Yesterday," so far, is the worst offender in this latest sub genre of "jukebox musicals," movies that do not exist to be movies, per se. They exist for us to sing the songs that we know and love regardless of what is occurring upon the screen and therefore, to crassly sell the back catalogs of the artists whose music the film revolves around.

In fact, after sitting through this terrible experience, I went to my local record store and purchased a Beatles album as an antidote!
(Originally reviewed July 2019)

STAY TUNED: MY TOP TEN FAVORITE FILMS OF 2019!!!!

SAVAGE SCORECARD 2019: THE HONOR ROLL

Ten years in with Savage Cinema and my, how the movie going landscape has changed...and frankly not for the better. 2019 was actually a year in which I saw the least amount of movies. Not necessarily due to the quality of what was being released (although that sometimes was a factor) but the new reality that less films of all genres are finding their ways to our local theaters, thus making me less interested in seeing what actually is being released, since it is typically all manner of franchise material. Don't get me wrong. I want to see the latest "Star Wars" or Marvel adventure too but I don't wish to see moves of that nature every week and the lack of diversity in our theaters is indeed damaging the movie going experience overall.

All of that being said, I now arrive with my annual Savage Scorecard series, which is indeed a tad shorter due to the very reasons I detailed above. But, the series does remain mostly intact and it will arrive in three segments instead of four, with the first one being this one, the 2019 "Honor Roll," films that I felt were strong to varying degrees but did not make my personal Top Ten or my "Number 11." As always, these are solely my opinions and if you do wish to read a review in its entirety,  I have indicated which month in the year 2019 you may find the review up on this blogsite.

With the Oscars occurring in one week's time, I want to see if I can crank this series out for you so with further hesitation...

SAVAGE SCORECARD 2019: THE HONOR ROLL

"BOOKSMART" DIRECTED BY OLIVIA WILDE
Brazen, brash and bold, "Booksmart," the filmmaking directorial debut of actress Olivia Wilde, is an unrepentantly foul mouthed, hard R rated coming-of-age comedy that often feels like a throwback to the teen sex movies of the early 1980's. Unlike those films, which were heavily populated by a sea of horny boys and nameless girls ready to display their bare breasts on camera, "Booksmart" stars Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever as two over-achieving best friends, long considered to being pretentious by their peers, who embark upon their one wild night of high school hijinks on the eve of their graduation. While the plot itself is a teen film hallmark, what sets "Booksmart" apart from other films in its genre are our two unapologetically formidable, feminist and ferociously foul mouthed heroines as well as the restlessly inventive, take-no-prisoners aesthetic of Wilde, who clearly announces herself as a filmmaker to watch closely.
(Originally reviewed May 2019)

"GLASS" DIRECTED BY M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN
I firmly and proudly concede that the film career of M. Night Shyamalan is an acquired taste...and it is a taste that I enjoy, as his style of storytelling and cinematic wine, so to speak, is a flavor that provides a unique taste unlike anyone else's. With "Glass," the finale to his surprise trilogy which began with his finest film "Unbreakable" (2000) and continued with the wild freak fest of "Split" (2017), Shyamalan enlivened our over-saturated superhero film genre with a fresh, idiosyncratic perspective, also within a genre that does carry a certain directorial anonymity. Without falling into ADD editing techniques, CGI bombast and comic book movie genre sameness, "Glass" placed us firmly within the M. Night Shyamalan universe, and in doing so, I was engaged and often enthralled by his creepy, atmospheric, mesmerizing production which featured strong performances throughout, especially from James McAvoy (clearly having the time of his life) and in the titular role as the ingenious supervillain, Samuel L. Jackson.
(Originally reviewed January 2019)

"HARRIET" DIRECTED BY KASI LEMMONS
I am still a bit troubled by aspects of this film, from its facile, superficial presentation to even some specific scenes and sequences. But, it is a film that has not escaped my brain and I am further convinced that Director Kasi Lemmons' artistic choices were firmly intentional, especially in our current superhero franchise dominated movie culture, as "Harriet," her film about the ascension of Harriet Tubman (performed with a mournful fury by Oscar nominated Cynthia Erivo), from slave to fearless freedom fighter, is decidedly not a stately, nuanced epic but one that is more direct and even pulpy.

In essence, Kasi Lemmons has taken the historical and transformed it into the aesthetics of the superhero origin story as well as a propulsive chase film that culminates into a story of Black female empowerment and a war cry in the Black Lives Matter movement. And most importantly, Lemmons' approach will get you in the theater seats but you will leave inspired to know more about the real history, in a time when knowing one's history is not en vogue.
(Originally reviewed November 2019). 

"HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: THE HIDDEN WORLD" 
DIRECTED BY DEAN DeBLOIS
While more than a little padded and not as wondrous as the first two installments, Dean DeBlois' finale was indeed a lovely conclusion to an especially classy animated film trilogy, that solidified the enormously emotional bond between the young adult Viking Hiccup and his relationship with the Alpha dragon Toothless and therefore, our bond with them. I deeply appreciated how DeBlois allowed the characters to grow with each film and how he also allowed all of the dragons to exist as animals in their own right and not as extensions of their human counterparts, making for a film that truly celebrated the mysterious yet unquestionably unbreakable relationships between human and animals. And man, the final scenes between Hiccup and Toothless are just crystalline in their purity and beauty. 
(Originally reviewed March 2019)

"JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3-PARABELLUM" DIRECTED BY CHAD STAHELSKI
I have to admit that I am still perplexed at the general public's full embrace of a film series that has only grown in its graphic violence as well as its own sense of ridiculousness, but I have to say, Chad Stahelski's "John Wick: Chapter 3-Parabellum" is an exhilarating, often hysterical and downright spectacular opera of brilliant, beautifully orchestrated ultraviolence.

The odyssey of Keanu Reeves' reluctant killing machine is indeed giving us more of the same but not quite as it takes its bare bones revenge story and deepens its own increasingly surreal mythology while devising one astounding action/fight sequence after another that has to be seen to be believed and are all richly choreographed and filmed as if they were scenes in a musical. Building in intensity and insanity and concluding with a killer cliffhanger, this third installment is an action film triumph over-flowing with imagination and invention.
(Originally reviewed September 2019)

"LONG SHOT" DIRECTED BY JONATHAN LEVINE
The completely unlikely combination of Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron made for the best romantic comedy I have seen in quite a long time and I am stunned that it did not find a larger audience when it was released last Spring. Regardless, "Long Shot" was a winner as it was smart and vulgar, sexy and sharp and filled with a romantic longing that ensured the film possessed an urgently beating heart.

The story of Seth Rogen's recently unemployed political journalist who becomes a speechwriter for Charlize Theron's Secretary Of State who is eyeing a possible run for President (and who was also Rogen's childhood neighbor and crush), was a refreshingly direct and gently satirical take on our current political landscape while also existing as a brisk, breezy and deeply effective love story filled with rapid fire dialogue, rich characters and a absolutely dazzling leading performance from Theron, who wonderfully evoked the quandary of an adult woman wishing, hoping and worrying if she is up to the task of being the woman her 16 year old self wanted to one day become. 
(Originally reviewed May 2019)

"SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME"  DIRECTED BY JON WATTS
For as exhausted as I am with the superhero movie genre, when I see a goo done, I have to give the films its due and Jon Watts' "Spider-Man; Far From Home," the final entry in the Marvel Comics cinematic universe of 2019 was an especially good one, making for the perfect epilogue after the events of "Avengers: Endgame."

Deftly closing the book on all that has arrived before and setting the stage for the future with a terrific cliffhanger, "Spider-Man: Far From Home" finds the resurrected Peter Parker (again engagingly portrayed by Tom Holland) recovering from the triumphant and tragic events from "Avengers; Endgame" nearly wanting to leave his superhero life behind via a class Summer trip to Europe. But trouble keeps finding him and imploring him to life out his destiny saving the world, this time from the duplicitous Mysterio (a terrific Jake Gyllenhaal). Watts improves upon his already high-flying first installment with a smart, snappy screenplay, strong performances throughout and superlative special effects. Feeling like a John Hughes film funneled through a comic book adventure, Watts has delivered a coming-of age film, romantic comedy as well as a self-reflexive escapade that regards how we interact with the nature of believing the unbelievable.
(Originally reviewed July 2019)

STAY TUNED FOR "NUMBER 11" and MY LEAST FAVORITE FILM OF 2019!

SAVAGE CINEMA'S COMING ATTRACTIONS FOR FEBRUARY 2020

I cannot believe that the Oscars are happening in one week's time!!

So, because of this rapid reality, I am going to try my best and have my annual Savage Scorecard series that compiles my 2019 rankings up and posted before then. One is written and ready to go, so let's keep chugging along.

After Oscar season, I am hoping to catch two movies this month (while finally placing the finishing touches over a review I have been poking away at for some time).

1. "The Photograph," starring Issa Rae and the exceedingly versatile Lakeith Stanfield, is first upon my list, which would make this the first film I would have seen in this new decade of motion pictures. 

2. "Downhill," starring Will Ferrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus has already fully captured my attention as well.

And then, I also wish to begin my "Time Capsule" series commemorating my favorite films from the decade of 2010-2019, so I have more than enough to keep me busy.

As always, wish me good luck and good health and I will see you when the house lights go down!!!

BROTHERS IN ARMS: a review of "1917"

"1917"
Screenplay Written by Sam Mendes & Krysty Wilson-Cairns
Directed by Sam Mendes
**** (four stars)
RATED R

A masterpiece. An absolute masterpiece.

Sam Mendes' "1917" is far and away the finest motion picture of his career to date. No small feat whatsoever as his filmography already includes his masterful debut feature "American Beauty" (1999), the devastating melodrama "Revolutionary Road" (2008) and for me, the finest James Bond feature I have ever seen in "Skyfall" (2012). 

But "1917" is a different beast altogether. It is a titanic achievement. A film that is marvelous to behold in its muscular execution and majestic cinematic storytelling. It is the very kind of movie making that is of such a grand rarity these days as we are constantly bombarded (and some would even offer, bludgeoned) by all manner of the cinematic calamity and cataclysm that is now commonplace and designed to solely be consumed and forgotten as we await the next cinematic calamity to come crashing through our theater walls to numbing effect.

"1917," by superior contrast, is the kind of movie going experience where you can fully lose yourself in the experience while simultaneously wondering the entire time,'"How did they do this???" It is the ecstatic, euphoric glory of the magic of the movies that Sam Mendes has delivered at the absolute peak of his powers making it not only my #1 favorite film of 2019, but also it stands exceedingly tall as one of the best films I have seen within the decade of 2010-2019.

The plot of "1917" is perfectly simple in its conceit. Set on April 6, 1917, during World War I, two young British soldiers--Lance Corporal Tom Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) and Lance Corporal Will Schofield (George MacKay)--are given an especially perilous and seemingly impossible mission.

Blake and Schofield are instructed to hand deliver a message to the Second Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment warning them to not carry out their planned attack the following morning as they are unwittingly being set up for a trap, leading to a potential massacre by the Germans. If Blake and Schofield fail, the lives of 1600 of their fellow soldiers will be lost...including Blake's older brother, who is a member of the Battalion.

This is the plot of Sam Mendes' "1917," and that is all you need as the execution of the story fully encapsulates the epic and the intimate, the mammoth and the minuscule, the personal and the universal in a tale of war, courage, determination, dedication, devastating loss and miraculous survival.

Now certainly, "1917" is not the first war film that you and I have ever experienced and therefore, if you have not yet seen this film, I would not be surprised if you are wondering just what the fuss is all about from my end. Yes, Mendes' film conceptually is essentially a hybrid of past war films  including Steven Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan" (1998) and Christopher Nolan's "Dunkirk" (2017), to note two relatively recent and superlative examples.

Yet, what makes "1917" is not specifically the story itself but precisely how the story is told and with this film, Sam Mendes, working in astonishing collaboration with his full cast and crew, including the clear MVP in the legendary Cinematographer Roger Deakins (who deserves to win every single award in which he is nominated for during this awards season), we are given a film experience that is immersive to a multi-layered degree as the entirely unfolds in reportedly one or two gorgeously fluid, unbroken sequences and the effect is staggering to say the least.

Yes indeed, "1917" is the war film that reveals itself completely in real time and without any edits.  Now, my logical mind tells me that there must have been some editing throughout the film and yet, aside from one obvious point, I was unable to detect any moments where any cuts could have occurred. And the more I looked, and the more I honestly could not see anything regarding traditional film editing, the more my mouth dropped open in amazement and awe as we follow Blake and Schofield on their treacherous journey for every single step with Mendes' film making eye revealing every sight at the moment the two soldiers experience them for themselves. This technique made for a film in which I was as enthralled as I was firmly riveted to my theater seat, at times in breathless rapture, while at other times, I felt as shell shocked as our protagonists.

And still, there has been some criticism that Sam Mendes' "1917" is all technique and no substance, while some even referring to the film as being nothing more than a World War I themed first person video game and to those detractors, I passionately disagree as I found the film's technique and the inner working of the story to being richly intertwined and powerfully inseparable, with each aspect informing the other, sometimes in synergy and others, in full juxtaposition.
 
From a purely aesthetic level, and for a film that is housed in carnage, death and destruction, "1917," as a film experience, is overflowing with enormous vitality and life, with superior flow and movement that is bountiful in its cinematic tapestry. Just think of what it takes to even stage a film of this sort in order for it to progress in unedited sequences. If even one element is out of place, if an actor flubs a line, if one person misses their mark at the precisely right time, then then entire process falls apart like a house of cards and has to be staged from the beginning all over again.

We have indeed seen this technique before from filmmakers and works such as Alfonso Cuaron's "Children Of Men" (2006) and "Gravity" (2013) as well as Alejandro G. Inarritu's brilliant "Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance)" (2014), situations where both filmmakers (and friends) felt to be in a healthy competition with each other, seeing how the technique could be utilized creatively and successfully. It was as if each  film was a building block for the subsequent film.

With "1917," Mendes takes up the mantle of this creative challenge and runs with it from beginning to end with towering confidence, inventiveness, skill and artistry. Again, there are sections where I  found myself awestruck with the technique for its gorgeously flabbergasting choreography and how the technique played into the actual storytelling and our connection to Blake and Schofield's odyssey.

Returning to Christopher Nolan's "Dunkirk" for a moment, I loved how that film utilized war as a more philosophical tool while also remaining blisteringly visceral as it depicted the Dunkirk evacuation from three differing perspectives of land, sea and air and all within three different time frames of one hour, one day and one week. In that film, Nolan eschewed character development  and rather played with the concept of time itself--one of his primary themes within his filmography--showing us what war most likely feels like, especially when submerged in conflict.

With "1917," Sam Mendes's single, long take aesthetic does Nolan one better. For me, Mendes ensures his film works as an existential statement about the randomness of war regarding life, death and all manner of wartime circumstances--itself juxtaposed with Mendes' fierce meticulousness with the nature of the production itself--while also existing as a visceral experience that firmly connects us to the characters of Blake and Schofield.

Whether we regard the twosome regarding a dogfight only to find themselves racing from a downed aircraft, finding themselves trapped within a rat infested German bunker filled with trip wires, crossing No Man's Land on foot, evading snipers and even more, "1917" is filled with knife's edge intensity. That being said, Mendes' film is a graceful one, complete with poetic motifs (the cherry blossoms, for instance) and a fragile poignancy with its cyclical presentation, using imagery that connects the opening to its conclusion, creating a loop that ultimately gathers a picture of every war of every time period and conflict.

Both of the film's leading performances are excellent as they, like the film itself, uses just enough to forge a simple connection between these brothers in arms as well as the characters to us in the audience while also delivering tremendous depth. It just strikes me in particular with how George MacKay was fully ignored this awards season as his performance is shattering.

As Schofield, MacKay, with his long, gaunt face and hollowed eyes, is haunting and devastating, eliciting a full  performance (albeit with scant dialogue almost suggesting the skills of a silent film actor) that builds in its purpose, drive and commitment the further the film travels. Again the cumulative effect of MacKay's performance is fully tied into the single take aesthetic which goes beyond the "you are there" effect and becomes something else entirely as we experience the mission in real time directly with him, almost becoming him as we are his eyes, his body, his heart and his spirit in the extraordinary realms of fear of dying in battle and the resolve of meeting his commitment. Just outstanding!!

Sam Mendes' "1917" is magnificent, marvelous and majestic. It is artfully skilled filmmaking, the very type that makes the act of going to the movies a joy and frankly, is in rarer supply in our franchise driven cinematic culture. To be transported to this exceedingly high level is something that should be embraced, celebrated and encouraged as we move forwards into the 21 century and ponder and even debate over what we would like for our movie going landscape to become.

For me, I simply wish for what I have always wished for regarding the movies. To just be told a story to the very best of a filmmaker's abilities, one where, at its absolute finest,  I can nearly forget that I am sitting within a movie theater merely watching and become so immersed that the film can become something akin to an out of body experience.

Sam Mendes' "1917" delivers on all counts.

IT'S GONNA GET LOUD!!: a review of "Uncut Gems"

"UNCUT GEMS"
Screenplay Written by Ronald Bronstein & Josh Safdie & Benny Safdie
Directed by Josh & Benny Safdie
*** (three stars)
RATED R

There are often times when I go to the movies when I am just in need of something visceral.

Sometimes it is indeed some kind of shoot-'em-up but usually, when I think of something visceral, I tend to envision some sort of adult drama where the audio/visual/emotional content are all equally firing on all cylinders, reaching peaks that could be considered to being either operatic or even feral in nature. I don't mean a slow burn of a film and I definitely do not mean cerebral. I mean...visceral!!!! Where your nerves are on a knife edge and everything feels like a gut punch.

And even so, there is indeed an art to achieving success with that sort of a film as you need a cinematic storyteller who possesses a sense of rhythm, timing, and nuance to augment and then, enhance the drama thus creating that apex of intensity. With Directors Josh and Benny Safdie's "Uncut Gems," I have to give credit when it is due as the twosome do indeed have the filmmaking and storytelling chops to pull off an experience that can elicit a dramatic effect that is borderline anxiety inducing.

And still, the film did not completely deliver the full effect I think the Safdie brothers wished to accomplish, quite possibly due to their relative filmmaking inexperience when compared to someone with the mountainous legacy of Martin Scorsese, clearly a MAJOR influence. But that being said, "Uncut Gems" is indeed visceral, yet one that is relentlessly pummeling. So much so that you may wish to bring some Tylenol along for the ride. 

Set in the year 2012, "Uncut Gems" stars a volcanic Adam Sandler as Howard Ratner, a Jewish-American jewelry store owner in New York's Diamond District, who is also a gambling addict feverishly trying to pay back escalating debts as well as involved in juggling two volatile relationships: one with his soon to be ex-wife Dinah (Idina Menzel) and Julia (Julia Fox), his mistress and employee.

Around Passover, Howard receives a rock containing a rare Ethiopian black opal (i.e. an "uncut gem") hidden inside of a crate of fish. Estimating its value at $1,000,000,  Howard plans to auction the stone and eliminate his debts, which are growing increasingly dire as loan shark Arno (Eric Bogosian) and his quick tempered goons Phil (Keith Williams Richards) and Nico (Tommy Kominik) are rapidly losing patience.

Howard's plans immediately begin to unravel when his friend and associate Demany (Lakeith Stanfield) brings the Boston Celtics' Kevin Garnett (playing himself in a surprising, electrifying performance) into the store and Garnett becomes entranced with the rock and opal, imploring that he borrow it for one night to inspire himself for that nights' basketball game.

And with this one moment, Howard Ratner's descent into his voluminous downward spiral only is just beginning...

The Safdie brothers' "Uncut Gems" is indeed strong stuff but not great stuff. That is certainly not for any lack of trying because they are unquestionably swinging for the fences. But that being said, I just felt that these are extremely talented filmmakers who still have much to learn as their film exists as one with considerable force but without a stitch of nuance and dimension.

As previously stated, it is clear that Martin Scorsese is a major influence for the Safdie brothers but more correctly, it felt as if the final third of Scorsese's now iconic "Goodfellas" (1990), the extended sequence where Ray Liotta is strung out on cocaine and insomnia, trying to evade either real or imagined surveillance while also attempting to master that pasta sauce, is the influence.

Much like that section, and even combined with essentially the entirety of Scorsese's "The Wolf Of Wall Street" (2013), it truly felt like that was the inspiring engine of "Uncut Gems" and while appropriately exhausting, the film (aside from a truly terrific final third) as a whole lacked the rhythm, the music of stress inducing cinematic cacophony that can make the most turbulent, nerve wracking sequences just sing and therefore, become exhilarating cinema to behold. 

As I regard "Uncut Gems," I am instantly reminded not only of Scorsese's aforementioned work, but also recent films like Damien Chazelle's "Whiplash" (2014) and Craig Gillespie's "I, Tonya" (2017) plus older films like Paul Thomas Anderson's "Boogie Nights" (1997) and "Magnolia" (1999), and even some of Spike Lee's films from "Do The Right Thing" (1989), "Jungle Fever" (1991), "Crooklyn" (1993), "Clockers" (1995) and even more, as they all resoundingly sing with the music contained in the noise of large, over-the-top, passionate lives being lived, fought over and fought for.

All of those films contained a specific ebb and flow in the chaos of their respective stories and styles that gave form, escalation and therefore, truth to the proceedings, allowing the inherent power within each film to rise and grow in intensity and cumulative effects.

The Safdie brothers' "Uncut Gems," however, is a headache inducing barrage of dazzling cinematography courtesy of Darius Khondji, a propulsive electronic pseudo Tangerine Dream score from Composer Daniel Lopatin and furious performances, complete with an endless stream of F bombs and racial epithets and as good as it is, it didn't truly signify much beyond the sheer noise of it all.

Whether through creative intent or by way of the design via sound mixing, "Uncut Gems" is one LOUD movie. So much so that by film's end, I felt as if I had been screamed at continuously for 2 hours and 15 minutes, and no, that is not a good thing. I do deeply appreciate a good "in your face" experience but for this film, there was no ebb and flow as seemingly every single moment within the film functioned at the exact same fever pitch and volume that ultimately kept me at a bit of a distance from fully engaging.

Now, of course, I do have to turn my attention to Adam Sandler, who exactly like the Safdie brothers, has swung for the fences as his performance is truly a grand slam and more than deserving of any attention he receives during awards season. Just as the late, great Roger Ebert once expressed, I also really like Adam Sadler when he is not making "Adam Sandler movies" as he has proven himself to being a skilled dramatic actor in a series of compelling performances in varied films like James L. Brooks' "Spanglish" (2004), Mike Binder's "Reign Over Me" (2007) and of course, Paul Thomas Anderson's "Punch-Drunk Love" (2001).

For "Uncut Gems," the character of Howard Ratner is, at long last, an opportunity for Sandler to flex his creative muscles and he proves himself to being more than up to the task as he unleashes a cauldron of feral energy that is undeniably riveting to watch and wholly magnetic as you are unable to take your eyes away from him regardless of whatever and whomever is around him.

The film's final third, which I have already alluded to, is downright remarkable. Conceptually, the Safdie brothers' story has reached a certain pivotal apex involving the mistress, the loan shark and his goons, a crucial basketball game and there's Adam Sandler delivering a true tour de force of a performance that honestly served as a multi-layered running commentary of the story's events as well as his on-going existential crisis. That was exhilarating as well as brilliantly stress inducing as I also seriously wondered just how many takes did Sandler perform to make this sequence what it is...and furthermore, how did he not spontaneously combust while performing it!

Adam Sandler is absolutely sensational creating one of those larger-than-life, miscreant characters who should not be able to survive even one minute in the world but somehow, by the skin of their teeth or the skill of their rapid fire mouths, somehow lives to scrape through another day...by the skin of their teeth or the skill of their rapid fire mouths. He more than lives up to everything the Safdie brothers throw at him and for that, I do hope the trio will join forced for another film and perhaps, the entire proceedings can be that elusive masterpiece.

The Safide brothers' "Uncut Gems" is a good film. No question. Just one that didn't entirely involve me yet rather, exhausted me from its harshly persistent rancor.

SAVAGE CINEMA'S COMING ATTRACTIONS FOR JANUARY 2020

HAPPY NEW YEAR and of course, now that we are officially in the year 2020, HAPPY NEW DECADE as well!

I will keep this short and sweet for all of you at this time. For January, this will be a month of catch up and some compiling. To catch up, there are some more 2019 films that will go into wide release this month and I would like to see those before I make my official Savage Scorecard series ready for you.

And even then, it is time for me to begin compiling and writing my new Time Capsule series as I pour through my favorite films of the decade between 2010-2019.

That is more than enough to keep me busy, so as always, I simply ask for your well wishes and again, as always, I will see you when the house lights go down!!!!!!