Tag: Romance

“American Fiction” (2023) starring Jeffrey Wright, Tracee Ellis Ross, Erika Alexander, Leslie Uggams, & Sterling K. Brown

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SPOILER ALERT: Don’t read this post if you haven’t seen, or don’t want to know, details from the movie American Fiction (now playing in theaters).

Cord Jefferson’s hilarious directorial debut confronts our culture’s obsession with reducing people to outrageous stereotypes. Jeffrey Wright stars as Monk, a frustrated novelist who’s fed up with the establishment profiting from “Black” entertainment that relies on tired and offensive tropes. To prove his point, Monk uses a pen name to write his own outlandish “Black” book–that propels him into the heart of hypocrisy and the madness he claims to disdain. -Synopsis (MGM/Orion Pictures)

I heard about this indie via TIFF coverage (on pods and YT); it’s based on a novel titled Erasure by Percival Everett. I was V interested to see it after learning that the screenwriter/director grew up in Tucson, AZ (as I did). Cord Jefferson (42 y.o.) worked as a journo for about 8 yrs. before getting into TV; he wrote for Master of None, The Good Place, and Watchmen. This movie (made for less than $10M) was in limited release in DEC 2023; I saw it in mid-JAN 2024 (at AFI) w/ a large/diverse audience. Unlike most (mainstream) films, the main cast is in middle-age (40 and up)- how refreshing! American Fiction is BOTH a comedy and a drama; the literary/publishing story is played for laughs, while the domestic/family story MAY make you cry. This is a must-see film for ppl who want something emotional, funny, and thoughtful!

Agnes Ellison: Geniuses are loners because they can’t connect with the rest of us.

I walked on the set and I felt like we all belonged. When you work with fabulous people, it raises the bar, because you have to meet it. -Leslie Uggams, actress (CBS Sunday Morning, 2/4/24)

Monk (Wright- who was born/raised in DC) isn’t always a likeable protagonist; he’s a BIT of a snobby prof who is distant from his family and frustrated w/ his level of success. Monk has the kind of wit that could push others away; he also has a reliance on alcohol. His younger sister, Lisa (Tracee Ellis Ross), is a Boston-based OBGYN (like their father); she looks after their 80 y.o. widowed mom, Agnes (Leslie Uggams). As a teen, Uggams appeared on a variety show; she had a prominent role in the original Roots miniseries. It’s quite a shock when Lisa (suddenly) dies of a heart attack in the 1st act! Monk’s younger brother, Clifford (Sterling K. Brown), is a Tucson-based plastic surgeon who is embracing his (new) life as a gay man. Brown is often seen shirtless (or w/ shirt unbuttoned) to show off his FAB abs! Cliff calls Monk out on his attitude/behaviors, as perhaps ONLY a sibling can do.

Coraline: [to Monk] Not being able to relate to people isn’t a badge of honor.

I was just thinking about kissing him [Wright] everyday. He’d be at the craft services table and I’d mosey up and say: “our scene is coming up,” and he’d go [rolls eyes] “oh boy.” I was like “oh get ready, dude.” -Erika Alexander, actress (CBS Sunday Morning, 2/4/24)

This film reveals that life (incl. the potential for romance) doesn’t end at age 40! At the beach house, Monk connects w/ a neighbor/defense lawyer, Coraline (Erika Alexander); viewers my age may know her from the hit comedy series Living Single (which starred Queen Latifah). Coraline is a V smart/confident woman; she asks Monk on a date first! The Ellison family’s long-time cook, Lorraine (Myra Lucretia Clark), is considered part if the family. Lorraine gets a sweet love story w/ a local cop, Maynard (Raymond Anthony Thomas).

Why aren’t Black professors depicted in books and films as frequently as Black drug addicts, or Black rappers, or Black slaves? Why is it that white people with the power to greenlight films, books, and TV shows have such a limited view of what Black lives should look like? -Cord Jefferson, writer/director

Sintara Golden (Issa Rae) is a young literary star; she writes (urban) books that Monk disdains. His literary agent, Arthur (John Ortiz), sends out Monk’s (joke) book to a big publishing house that rejected his (serious) book. Monk decides to take the $500K deal for his book after learning how expensive senior/assisted-living housing can be. Agnes is in the early stage of Alzheimer’s disease; she will need constant care and attention.

“Saltburn” (2023) starring Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant, & Archie Madekwe

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SPOILER ALERT: Don’t read this post if you haven’t seen, or don’t want to know, details from the movie Saltburn (streaming on Amazon Prime).

Struggling to find his place at Oxford University, student Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) finds himself drawn into the world of the charming and aristocratic Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi), who invites him to Saltburn, his eccentric family’s sprawling estate, for a summer never to be forgotten. -Synopsis

Woo boy- what can I say re: this (unhinged) British/indie movie!? Yikes, it’s hard to put into words suitable for all ages of readers! I was curious b/c I’m a big fan of The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) starring Matt Damon, Jude Law, and Gwyneth Paltrow. I have NOT yet seen the two miniseries of Brideshead Revisited (1981; 2008). After I watched Saltburn (written/directed by Emerald Fennell), I was a BIT surprised that it was free on Amazon Prime. Speaking of shock value, yeah- there are several scenes which were unexpected (rarely depicted in movies)! We’ll never look at bathwater the same way…

Barry Keoghan is trying to create a role out of the disparate parts of other ones (Norman Bates, Tom Ripley, Patrick Bateman), yet doesn’t get all the way there. He couldn’t have. There is no “there.” -Wesley Morris (New York Times)

The cast is made up of (mostly) fine/experienced actors, BUT w/ such poor writing/shallow character development, there isn’t much they can do. Keoghan (an Irish character actor) doesn’t disappoint; it’s TOO bad that this was his 1st leading role. Oliver speaks w/ a Liverpool accent; it is revealed that he comes from a comfortable middle-class family. Elordi (an Aussie who recently played Elvis in Priscilla) has potential; I hadn’t seen his acting before. There are a LOT of shots which linger over his handsome face and tall/lean body; I thought this was overkill (hey, I’m NOT a teenage girl). Felix’s parents, James (Richard E. Grant) and Elspeth (Rosamund Pike) are removed from their feelings and say whatever they want- it’s just absurd. Some critics (incl. POC) weren’t pleased w/ the way Felix’s cousin, Farleigh (Archie Madekwe), was depicted. Taking it back to the Ripley comparison, Farleigh (w/ a Black/American father and white/English mother) reminded me of Freddie Miles (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), as he is one of the few characters suspicious of Oliver’s motives. Just when things could get interesting, Farleigh is removed from the story! Oliver’s socially awkward/Math major friend, Michael, is played by Ewan Mitchell (one of the young stars of House of the Dragon).

This is a V glaring case of style over substance; I noted this before re: other (modern) media. As the time period is 2006/2007 (when Fennell was in college), we see looks which were popular then, incl. pierced eyebrows, bleached (damaged) blonde hair, long belts, etc. The real location for Saltburn is Drayton House in the village of Lowick in North Hampshire; it was built around 1300. Fennell stated she considers this “a vampire movie,” even though the story does not have supernatural elements. Oliver refers to himself as a vampire in the (now infamous) garden scene w/ Felix’s younger sister, Annabel (Sadie Soverall).

[1] For me, unfortunately its third act is probably its most memorable feature because it requires an enormous suspension of disbelief.

[2] The twists – I saw all of them coming, most are heavily contrived, and none felt shocking in the slightest. […] Saltburn is a seriously dull watch, the humour is barely present at all. I would have turned off after about an hour, but having got that far I stayed in hope of a clever ending. Nothing clever here, in fact, rather than clever they went for nonsensical.

[3] …the issue of character: no one in the film is a real person: all of them are pawns to serve the grand plot which, when dissected, falls apart. These aren’t people; they’re vehicles for the screenwriter (director, producer, etc.) to show off an interesting, but ultimately flawed story.

[4] Saltburn is a film that promises much, but delivers little. Despite its grand setting and talented cast, it fails to provide a compelling narrative or engaging characters. It’s a film that tries to be a critique of the English aristocracy and a psychological thriller, but falls short on both counts.

[5] The suspenseful bits aren’t suspenseful. The funny bits aren’t funny and the sexy bits aren’t sexy.

-Excerpts from IMDb reviews

“The Royal Hotel” (2023) starring Julia Garner & Jessica Henwick

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SPOILER ALERT: Don’t read this post if you haven’t seen, or don’t want to know, details from the movie The Royal Hotel (available to rent/buy on VOD).

A fun adventure is all they wanted. -Tagline for the film

Hanna (Julia Garner) and Liv (Jessica Henwick) are two American mid-20s women backpacking through Australia. When the best friends get low on money, Liv convinces Hanna to take a temporary live-in job at a bar (The Royal Hotel) in a remote mining town. The bar’s owner, Billy (Hugo Weaving), as well a a motley crew of rowdy locals give the visitors an introduction to Down Under drinking culture. Adding to the tension is the fact that it’s hard to get cell phone reception in this area. Soon, Hanna and Liv realize that they’ve gotten themselves into a (potentially dangerous) situation!

This is the 2nd feature film of a young Aussie woman, Kitty Green; the director/co-writer of the screenplay teams again w/ Garner (also the lead in The Assistant). It’s too bad that the movie re: Madonna (starring Garner) was cancelled! One of the “hot button” topics nowadays (esp. after pandemic life) is the breakdown of interactions btwn men and women. The men in the movie (mostly young miners) call the new barmaids “fresh meat.” Most of them are NOT subtle w/ their come-ons; sexual harassment is a theme here (as in The Assistant). The men are ALL problematic, though they are characterized somewhat differently! Billy is an alcoholic; his live-in Māori gf, Carol (Ursula Yovich), is nearly fed up w/ his attitude/behavior. The seemingly chill guy, Matty (Toby Wallace- a Brit), is a college grad who gets to know Hanna. One of the miners, Teeth (James Frecheville- an Aussie), has his eyes on Liv. The most interesting (and also volatile) man in the pub is Dolly (Daniel Henshall- an Aussie w/ many character roles).

The movie (distributed in North America by NEON) is NOT the typical thriller made by Hollywood studios; it’s more of a social thriller that has elements of the horror genre. What happened to these women desperate to escape their past lives this summer? Why are men (in crowds) SO prone to wild or dangerous behaviors? This film is inspired by the doc Hotel Coolgardie (2016); that true story involves two Finnish women/tourists who go to work at a remote pub in the tiny town of Coolgardie. The Royal Hotel is NOT badly-made, BUT is V disappointing! It is moody/atmospheric, though NOT much is going on. It is undercooked, though there was a LOT of potential. The pacing is TOO slow, even for big fans of indies. Hanna starts out as more impulsive than Liv- kissing the stranger/Swede- Torsten (Herbert Nordrum)- on the party boat; however, Hanna becomes V nervous at the pub. Liv doesn’t look TOO worried re: the male attn; she keeps trying to convinces Hanna to loosen up.

“Moonstruck” (1987) starring Cher, Nicolas Cage, Olympia Dukakis, & Danny Aiello

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Ronny Cammareri: I’m in love with you.

Loretta Castorini: [slaps him twice] Snap out of it!

No sooner does Italian-American widowed bookkeeper, Loretta Castorini (Cher), accept a marriage proposal from her dull bf, Johnny Cammareri (Danny Aiello), she finds herself falling for his younger/hot-headed brother, Ronny (Nicolas Cage- at only 23 y.o.) She tries to resist, BUT Ronny (who lost a hand in an accident) still blames on his brother; he has no scruples about pursuing Loretta while Johnny is in Italy. Loretta (whose conventional life is shaken up) falls deeply in love; she also learns that she’s NOT the only one in her family w/ a secret romance. There is tension in their (spacious Brooklyn) house btwn Loretta’s father/plumber, Cosmo (Vincent Gardino), and homemaker mother, Rose (Olympia Dukakis).

Ronny Cammareri: Loretta, I love you. Not like they told you love is, and I didn’t know this either, but love don’t make things nice – it ruins everything. It breaks your heart. It makes things a mess. We aren’t here to make things perfect. The snowflakes are perfect. The stars are perfect. Not us. Not us! We are here to ruin ourselves and to break our hearts and love the wrong people and die. The storybooks are bullshit. Now I want you to come upstairs with me and get in my bed!

They don’t make movies like this anymore! You can watch it w/ your family (w/o cringing), the older characters are developed, and there is terrific dialogue. Though it is grounded in a specific NYC neighborhood and family, there is a soaring romance at the center. John Patrick Shanley said he was “starving” and “struggling to pay rent” (in NYC) when he wrote the screenplay. He’d worked mainly as a playwright before, BUT it didn’t bring in much money. Moonstruck (based on Shanley’s real-life experience of growing up w/ Italian-American friends/neighbors) is one of the few rom coms that earned a Best Picture Oscar. Its director, Norman Jewison (who passed away last week at age 97), noted how rare that was (in a 2006 doc about the film). Jewison worked on a LOT of great movies in his (long/successful) career, incl. In the Heat of the Night (1967), Fiddler on the Roof (1971), A Soldier’s Story (1984), and The Hurricane (1999).

Cher won Best Actress, Dukakis won Best Supporting Actress, and Shanley won Best Original Screenplay- wow! The studio didn’t think Cage was right, BUT Cher stood up for him, even saying she’d quit if he wasn’t hired. Julie Bovasso (who also plays Loretta’s aunt Rita Cappomaggi) helped some actors w/ their (Italian/Brooklyn) accents. This was Aiello’s 1st time working in comedy. The cast had considerable time to rehearse; this is rare for Hollywood movies nowadays. My fave scene is the one where Rose goes out to dinner and makes an unexpected connection w/ a prof, Perry (John Mahoney) who usually dates younger women. Of course, we discover that Rose wouldn’t get involved w/ him; she is too grounded in her values and still loves her husband.

“Past Lives” (2023) starring Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, & John Magaro

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SPOILER ALERT: Don’t read this post if you haven’t seen, or don’t want to know, details from the movie Past Lives (available to rent/buy on VOD).

Na Young (AKA Nora) and Hae Sung, two deeply connected childhood friends, are wrested apart when Nora’s family emigrates from South Korea to Canada. Twenty-four years later, they’re reunited in NYC for one fateful week as they confront notions of love and destiny. -Synopsis

As fans of HBO’s Girls (2012-2017) may recall, Greta Lee played Soojin (an artist’s asst/frenemy of Marnie) in 4 eps (S2-S3). Adam Driver (Adam Sackler on Girls) and Lee were photographed chatting at the Gotham Awards after-party last Fall in NYC. They’re both 40, have worked in NYC theaters, and played younger characters. Past Lives is a beautiful (inside and out) indie drama written/directed by Celine Song (a 1st time director). This film (produced by A24) won the National Society of Film Critics Best Picture award. Like Nora (Lee), Song moved w/ her parents from Korea to Canada; her father was a filmmaker. She later settled in the US, worked as a playwright, and married a Jewish/American writer- Justin Kuritzkes. This story is based on Song’s real life, BUT w/ “dramatic moments added” (as she explained).

Arthur [to Nora]:  You dream in a language I can’t understand. It’s like there’s this whole place inside you I can’t go.

In a profile of Lee in the NYT on May 30, 2023, Song said she tried to keep the 2 leads separated (as much as possible) to help the scenes when Nora and Hae Sung finally meet in person after a long separation. This film is in BOTH Korean and English; director Bong Joon Ho’s American interpreter helped Lee improve her skills in Korean. Yoo (42 y.o.) speaks fluent English, along w/ 3 other languages; he was born/raised in Germany and studied in the US (Lee Strasberg Inst). Song also did not let Yoo and John Magaro (Arthur- Nora’s husband) meet before shooting. When Hae Sung and Arthur meet each other for the 1st time, it’s the same for the actors. The shot that was eventually in the movie ended up being the 1st take. Magaro (40 y.o.) is mainly an indie movie/theater actor who often plays New Yorkers (w/ a V believable accent). As some critics commented, Arthur understands the appeal seeing how handsome Hae Sung looks.

Nora [to Hae Sung]: Getting married is hard for idealistic people like you.

Nora and Hae Sung (an engineer who is hesitant re: marriage) spend a few days together in NYC; they walk, talk, and visit some tourist attractions. Though they barely hug or touch, we sense some tension (romantic potential). One night, they’re joined by Arthur at an East Village bar. Nora (who sits btwn the 2 men) finds herself in the role of interpreter and intermediary btwn 2 cultures. Unlike many modern movies, Past Lives is restrained, understated, and effectively uses silence. Perhaps most refreshing- it doesn’t play into melodrama and Hollywood stereotypes, esp. w/ the “love triangle.” Some viewers were reminded of Richard Linklater’s Before trilogy (w/ Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy). I loved this film- and yes- I did cry!

At 40, it’s strange to be called a breakthrough actor. I’ve been doing this for 20 yrs! -Greta Lee

[1] The actors who play the sweethearts as adults, Greta Lee and Teo Yoo, are both exceptional, but it’s Lee who creates the most fascinating character. […]

The movie is also a sensitive look at what it feels like to be an immigrant, torn between two cultures, and not sure whether the nostalgia you feel is what you really want or just the allure of the familiar.

[2] Such a touching film, but at the same time, never cloying, because the script and direction from Celine Song were so wonderfully restrained. […] The characters were beautifully drawn and didn’t devolve into cliches, an example of which was the husband who gave a master class in being understanding and supportive. Beautiful cinematography too. Definitely one to see.

[3] A simple plot becomes a richly complex story of lost love, sought closure, and found purpose; and it’s all due to Celine Song having the proper understanding of when to allow silence to speak.

Yet despite the frequent bouts of silence, not a moment feels wasted. Every shot and sentence is meticulously edited to give us exactly what we need to feel each moment with its full emotional power.

-Excerpts from IMDb reviews