MAPPLETHORPE screens Monday Nov 5th at 8:15pm at the Tivoli Theater as part of this year’s St. Louis International Film Festival. Ticket information can be found HERE
Review by Stephen Tronicek
While Ondi Timonir’s Mapplethorpe fails among many, many, facets including depicting the lifestyle that Robert Mapplethorpe lead as some type of problem to be solved, chalking up a relationship straight out of Ali: Fear Eats the Soul or Get Out as something to be valued, or even so not providing an overall thesis on the man’s life itself, the film does manage to capture a certain excitement when it comes to the living of his life. There’s a sense of openness, of freedom, to stand in his shoes and think the way that he thought. A certain surface veneer to looking at a beautiful photograph of raw cathartic energy and luxuriating in it.
A film following the life of Robert Mapplethorpe, the photographer of excess that made his name on genitals and flowers, was always going to be excessive and it is in the excessive depiction of excessive creation that the film is at its strongest. Photography is a brutal, grinding, sweaty process of setting up lights and losing your mind in order to create a perfect image. An image that will move people…or not. Of course, some would just say that Mapplethorpe’s work is that of a masculine id, a display of genitals and flowers that can only bolster the surface level excitement that is spurred on from the meer image of beauty. That is what it often feels like to watch Mapplethorpe: a chance to wallow in surface level excitement.
The performances here are functional, if not necessarily comfortable. Matt Smith seems obviously exasperated by a role that’s all about excess and everyone around him gives off that vibe, except Marriane Réndon, who seems snug and comfortable in her role as Patti Smith. The stability shown in that performance may speak to the film’s biggest problem, but it’s a great performance all the same.
Mapplethorpe may not be the best film you see at this year’s festival, but there are still reasons for it to be explored. The energy of the piece is infectious and the way the performances support that energy is fantastic and on top of all that you also get to look at Mapplethorpe’s incredible photography.
MEMOIR OF WAR screens Sunday Nov. 4th at 12pm at The Plaza Frontenac as part of this year’s St. Louis International Film Festival. Ticket info can be found HERE
Review by Stephen Tronicek
What happens to you when you must wait for a possibly dead loved one to return? By the end of the wait, will you still be the same person? Will they? Will your lives just start up again or will enough have changed in the time waited that it is impossible to reconcile the years past? These are the questions that Emmanuel Finkel’s Memoir of War grapples with, and not always in an entertaining way. At 2 hours Finkel’s work is an excruciating wait, a depressive wail, a drab slow walk to the finish…but it has to be. The everyday movement of the world around us, the everyday movement of ourselves is difficult, especially when we are in anticipation of an event that will give us back our joy.
Based off of Marguerite Dura’s “The War: A Memoir,” Memoir of a War often feels unmoored from the conventions of traditional storytelling. Marguerite (Melanie Thierry) must wait for her husband to return after he is taken by the Nazis, and as time goes on and on the wait wedges her further and further from other people. This means that characters can’t necessarily develop within the narrative traditionally. They exist, drifting in an out of Margurite’s life in a way that is not always narratively satisfying but perfectly captures the inner distance growing out of Marguerite’s grief.
Emmanuel Finkel’s direction may not be as precise as it needs to be, but it deceptively displays the depths Marguerite’s disparity. The camera often reflects this keeping the world blurry around Marguerite who we follow very closely as she deliberately makes it through her time alone. Thierry is also beyond excellent and spends much of the film alone with herself in the frame. That means we have to care about her for long periods of time of doing nothing. In the hands of a bad director and even a good actor, this can become a nightmare (just ask The Little Stranger from earlier this year), but Finkel and Thierry are more than up to the task. Both their work, along with the nontraditional structure of characters creates a weird ennui that however uncomfortable, is extremely potent.
Memoirs of War breaks the template of WWII biopics by not being uplifting but it benefits from being just that. As the story comes to a close, the audience isn’t sure whether or not the relationship at the center of the piece will survive but we know that it meant something, even if that something was unbearable grief and suffering.
(l-r) Susan Sarandon as Helen and Edie Falco as Charlotte, in VIPER CLUB. Courtesy of YouTube Originals and Roadside Attractions.
VIPER CLUB is a drama about a heart-wrenching subject, the plight of families of journalists and others kidnapped by terrorists, a story told through the eyes of a tough ER nurse, played by Susan Sarandon, whose freelance journalist son has been kidnapped while working in Syria. It appears to have all the elements of a good thriller – a strong lead, timely subject, urgency to act, the frustration of dealing with a slow-moving official bureaucracy. It is a well-meaning film but unfortunately it is not a good film, despite heroic efforts by Sarandon to give it the depth and humanity it needs.
Sarandon is the best part of this film, as Helen the nurse caught in a mother’s worst nightmare. Her son Andy (Julian Morris) has been kidnapped while working as a freelancer in Syria. Because he is freelance, Andy has no media organization to help. The FBI has advised Helen to keep his disappearance a secret. At work, Helen is all steely strength and competence, helping train a new doctor and taking extra shifts. At home, she feels the absence of her grown son, whose choice to work in a war zone puzzles her. The film moves on two tracks, following Helen’s efforts to free her son and her work at the hospital, including caring for a little girl in a coma.
After waiting two months without a word she is becoming frustrated and alarmed at the lack of progress. The FBI tells her little but cautions her that if she pays ransom, she will be breaking the law. She goes to the State Department, which seems more interested in what the FBI is doing than helping free Andy. Since Andy is not military and he is not with a news organization, they regard him the same way as a tourist who decided to go somewhere risky.
In her frustration, she turns to an informal organization that helps find kidnapped journalists, known as the Viper Club. She meets with Charlottte (Edie Falco), a wealthy New Yorker whose son was rescued by the Viper Club through its back channels. For unknown reasons, Charlotte tells Helen she did not pay ransom for the return of her son, although we later learn she did.
That inexplicable detail is one of many in this frustratingly mishandled drama from director Maryam Keshavarz. It is never clear if Andy is Helen’s only child or if she raised him alone. Sarandon’s acting is excellent but the film looks terrible.
We learn little about Andy, mostly just a flashback to a conversation mother and son had about his commitment to covering war zones. Instead, we get repeated little shots of Andy as a child, a teen, and an adult, wordless snatches of memory or instances of him appearing where ever Helen is in the present. The technique is so overused, that they become irritating, seeming to be every few minutes, having the effect of undercutting the human drama and making the relatively short film feel longer.
Despite Sarandon’s good work, VIPER is a misfire that does not serve its worthy subject well.
Follow the incredible true story of Ron Stallwortth, an African-American police officer who infiltrates the Ku Klux Klan in the unbelievably bold, BlacKkKlansman, arriving on Digital and the all-new digital move app MOVIES ANYWHERE on October 23, 2018 and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-rayTM, DVD and On Demand on November 6, 2018 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. Hailed by critics as “hugely entertaining” (Stephanie Zacharek, Time) and “electric” (Eric Cohn, Indiewire), BlacKkKlansman comes from acclaimed producers Sean McKittrick (Get Out, Band Aid), Jason Blum (Get Out, Whiplash), Raymond Mansfield (Get Out, Band Aid), Jordan Peele (Get Out, “The Last O.G.”), Spike Lee (Malcolm X, “She’s Gotta Have It”), and Shaun Redick (Get Out, Band Aid).
Now you can own the BLACKKKLANSMAN Blu-ray. We Are Movie Geeks has 1 copy to give away.All you have to do is leave a comment answering this question: What is your favorite movie directed by Spike Lee? (mine is DO TEH RIGHT THING!). It’s so easy!
1. YOU MUST BE A US RESIDENT. PRIZE WILL ONLY BE SHIPPED TO US ADDRESSES. NO P.O. BOXES. NO DUPLICATE ADDRESSES.
2. WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN FROM ALL QUALIFYING ENTRIES.
Based on the book Black Klansman by Ron Stallworth, BlacKkKlansman is filled with outstanding performances from an all-star cast led by John David Washington (“Ballers,” Malcolm X), Adam Driver (Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Logan Lucky), Topher Grace (Interstellar, “That 70’s Show”) and Laura Harrier (Spider-Man: Homecoming, The Last Five Years) alongside an incredible roster of supporting talent including Alec Baldwin (“Saturday Night Live,” Mission Impossible – Fallout), Corey Hawkins (Straight Outta Compton, Kong: Skull Island), Ryan Eggold (“The Blacklist,” “Sons of Liberty”) and Paul Walter Hauser (I, Tonya, Super Troopers 2).
From visionary filmmaker Spike Lee comes the incredible true story of an American hero. In the early 1970s Ron Stallworth (Washington) becomes the first African-American detective in the Colorado Springs Police Department. Determined to make a difference, he bravely sets out on a dangerous mission: infiltrate and expose the Ku Klux Klan. He recruits a seasoned colleague, Flip Zimmerman (Driver), into the undercover investigation. Together, they team up to take down the extremist organization aiming to garner mainstream appeal. BlacKkKlansman offers an unflinching, true-life examination of race relations in 1970s America that is just as relevant in today’s tumultuous world.
Packed with bold and provocative moments from beginning to end, BlacKkKlansman on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital comes with exclusive bonus content that will take viewers deeper into this timely and moving true story.
BONUS FEATURES on 4K ULTRA HD, BLU-RAYTM, DVD AND DIGITAL
A Spike Lee Joint – Producer Jordan Peele, cast and film subject Ron Stallworth discuss the unique experience of working with iconic director Spike Lee.
BlacKkKlansman Extended Trailer Featuring Prince’s “Mary Don’t You Weep”
Get ready for an all-new adrenaline-filled adventure in the next chapter of the beloved fan-favorite franchise, Scorpion King: Book of Souls, now available on Blu-ray combo pack, DVD, Digital and On Demand from Universal 1440 Entertainment, the original content production arm of Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. Filled with heart-pumping action sequences and intriguing new characters, the historical fantasy film stars Zach McGowan (Terminator Salvation, “Shameless”) as the legendary Scorpion King alongside Pearl Thusi (“Quantico”, Tremors 5: Bloodlines) as the Nubian Princess, Peter Mensah (Avatar, “True Blood”) as the evil warlord and Nathan Jones (Mad Max: Fury Road, Troy) as the noble guardian. Showcasing stunning visuals, Scorpion King: Book of Souls reaches new levels of adventure that will keep viewers mesmerized from start to finish.
Now you can own the SCORPION KING: BOOK OF SOULS Blu-ray. We Are Movie Geeks has 3 copies to give away.All you have to do is leave a comment answering this question: What is your favorite movie with the word ‘King’ in its title? (mine is KING KONG!). It’s so easy!
1. YOU MUST BE A US RESIDENT. PRIZE WILL ONLY BE SHIPPED TO US ADDRESSES. NO P.O. BOXES. NO DUPLICATE ADDRESSES.
2. WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN FROM ALL QUALIFYING ENTRIES.
The legendary Scorpion King returns for an epic adventure in the latest action-packed film in the franchise. In ancient Egypt, the evil warlord, Nebserek (Mensah), discovers a cursed sword that makes the one who wields it more powerful with every soul it strikes down. Determined to stop his power from growing, the Scorpion King (McGowan) joins forces with Tala (Thusi), the Nubian Princess; Amina, a mysterious woman with a magical and tragic secret; and her golem guardian (Jones) to find the one thing that can defeat Nebserek: the Book of Souls.
Scorpion King: The Complete Collection will also be available on Blu-RayTM and DVD on October 23, 2018. From the producers of The Mummy comes this epic action-adventure collection, including all five films in the Scorpion King franchise. New and longtime fans can now enjoy the wonder of all five movies in one must-own collectible set including, The Scorpion King starring Dwayne Johnson, the prequel The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior with Michael Copon, The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption starring Victor Webster, The Scorpion King 4: Quest for Power, and newest film Scorpion King 5: Book of Souls.
Scorpion King: Book of Souls will be available on Blu-rayTM, DVD and Digital.
Blu-rayunleashes the power of your HDTV and is the best way to watch movies at home, featuring 6X the picture resolution of DVD, exclusive extras and theater-quality surround sound.
Digital lets fans watch movies anywhere on their favorite devices. Users can instantly stream or download.
Movies Anywhere is the digital app that simplifies and enhances the digital movie collection and viewing experience by allowing consumers to access their favorite digital movies in one place when purchased or redeemed through participating digital retailers. Consumers can also redeem digital copy codes found in eligible Blu-rayTM and DVD disc packages from participating studios and stream or download them through Movies Anywhere. Movies Anywhere is only available in the United States. For more information, visit https://moviesanywhere.com.
FILMMAKERS:
Cast: Zach McGowan, Pearl Thusi, Nathan Jones, Katy Louise Saunders, Mayling Ng, Howard Charles, Inge Beckmann and Peter Mensah
Casting By: Jeff Gerard DiGerolamo, Gillian Hawser, CDG, CSA
LEMONADE screens as part of the St. Louis International Film Festival Friday Nov 3rd at 12:10pm and again Sunday Nov. 4th at 12:10pm. Both screenings are at The Plaza Frontenac Theater. Ticket info can be found HERE and HERE
Review by Stephen Tronicek
Almost every frame of Ioana Uricaru’s Lemonade looks like it is crushing the main characters, which is odd because the camera is never locked down. Instead, the oppressive coolness of the imagery battles the expressiveness of the camera, allowing for a feeling that can only be described as wanting to run but being held in place. .
It’s hard to imagine that the main character, Mara (Malina Manovici) feels anything else. She’s recently come to America under the pretense of a “false marriage,” and now the consequences of such an act, however unwarranted they may be, are coming back to get her. Facing the need to care for her son, her downright abusive “husband,” and the inner workings of this New World that she has entered, Mara must find a way to keep herself out of trouble long enough to secure her place.
Lemonade is produced by Christian Mungiu (responsible for a contender for best film of the 21rst century, 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days), and Mungiu is an obvious influence. Uricaru’s storytelling here is very similar to Mungiu’s in aesthetic (untethered camera, desaturation), but there’s definitely a distinct voice within the intensity brought to every scene.
Malina Manovici is saddled with so much as an actress, but she easily skirts the line of scared but strong. Mara isn’t without guilt but she’s not to blame for most of the problems surrounding her. That comes down to systems surrounding her. The immigration system that is wrought with corruption, the justice system that won’t help her, and the men in her life that feel entitled to her. I’d suspect that many people would call this film heavy-handed but a film has to fail to earn its message to be so. It has to fail as drama and Lemonade most certainly doesn’t fail as that. It often feels like one bad thing after another but as the film ramps up in intensity building to a devastating, yet hopeful, end the direction and acting only get more and more potent.
If you’re a fan of social dramas by way of the Dardennes,’ Lemonade is an excellent addition to that genre and a gutwrenching dramatic treatise on the failures of multiple systems to protect a person that they should have. On top of that, Lemonade will probably be one of the best actor’s showcases of the festival and should crush you and leave you in awe all the same.
Mackenzie Foy is Clara and Jayden Fowara Knight is Phillip in Disney’s THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS.
Tchaikovsky’s classic The Nutcracker Ballet is a perennial holiday favorite, particularly for little girls for whom visions of sugarplum fairy ballerinas dance in their heads. With Tchaikovsky’s beautiful music, Hoffman’s magical Christmas fantasy story, The Nutcracker seems a natural for Disney.
Best of all, THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS features dancing by prima ballerina star Misty Copeland, the first African American principle dancer with the American Ballet Theater, With Copeland in the cast, Nutcracker fans can’t be blamed for expecting something like a lush big screen version of the holiday-favorite ballet. But THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS is a far different story, with much less of Misty Copeland’s thrilling dancing and much less of Tchaikovsky’s famous music than one would expect or hope.
The result is pretty but disappointing. The film had a lot of promise, with Copeland dancing and a cast that includes Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren and Keira Knightley.
Indeed, the best parts of THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS are the sequences that feature Copeland’s dancing, which are simply thrilling and shot in a heart-pounding energetic style. Sadly, we only see Copeland dance in one part of the story and then over the end credits. Likewise, while The Nutcracker Ballet has a number of famous, beloved Tchaikovsky pieces, we only hear snippets of a few of them, and mostly one theme repeated.
Of course, it is not too surprising that Disney would make some changes to a story where the Mouse King is the villain, in order to create a new adversary. The famous ballet abbreviates the ETA Hoffman story and Disney’s wish to keep a PG rating which might had made using more of Hoffman difficult. Still, surely the Disney writers could have come up with a more interesting story that also preserved more of the delights of the beloved ballet.
Like the ballet, THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS is about the adventures of a girl named Clara (Mackenzie Foy), which begin with a Christmas party and a gift from her Uncle Drosselmeyer (Morgan Freeman). There is a nutcracker shaped like a soldier but that is a gift for Clara’s little brother while Clara receives a key that leads her into the magical Four Realms. There she meets The Nutcracker (played by Jayden Fowora-Knight) as well as Sugar Plum (Keira Knightley), Mother Ginger (Helen Mirren), and others of this magical land called the Four Realms.
Changing the fantasy from a dream to an Alice In Wonderland-like magical realm seemed like a reasonable change but then story from there feels uninspired and routine. Drawing on elements from Lewis Carroll, the Wizard of Oz and other classics, the story never really picks up much steam. This is despite the dazzling visual world and the best efforts of the cast, particularly Helen Mirren as the spooky-looking Mother Ginger. Keira Knightley does more scenery-chewing than one usually sees and other character seem flat. Matthew MacFadyen struggles to breathe some life into the role of Clara’s father, who is still mourning Clara’s mother Marie (Anna Madeley) but the part seems under written.
The story is changed substantially in the quest to create a new villain, and in this version the mice are more comic relief, as befits the House that Mickey built. That would be fine except the story Disney comes up with is rather dull, lacking much energy or excitement. The film looks fabulous of course but will it has the appearance of an epic adventure tale, it certainly does not have an epic film. A few scenes try for excitement but much of the film is rather static, like a pretty picture of an adventure tale.
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS is mostly worth seeing for Copeland’s dancing but it is too small a part of this rather dull if pretty tale. Better yet, take the kids to a live performance of The Nutcracker Ballet.
In CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME?, Melissa McCarthy gives a stunning dramatic performance in the strange but true story of Lee Israel, an one-time bestselling author of celebrity biographies fallen on hard times, who turns to a life of crime forging letters from famous literary figures such as Dorothy Parker, which she sells to collectors with the help of a boozy friend, played wonderfully by Richard E. Grant.
Lee Israel (McCarthy) is a New Yorker who has made a career out of writing biographies of celebrities such Katherine Hepburn and Tallulah Bankhead. As interest in the celebrities of that earlier time, the one’s Lee prefers as subjects, fades in the 1980s, she struggles to get published and make a living. Lee’s anti-social, brusque personality and heavy-drinking don’t help matters either. When her new project, a biography of Fanny Brice, fails to find a publisher, she is desperate. To stave off eviction, and to cover vet bills for her beloved elderly cat, Lee turns to embellishing or even forging letters from famous writers such as Dorothy Parker and selling them to collectors. Suddenly, she discovers she has a gift for mimicking the style of these literary greats.
CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME? is filled with wonderful performances, memorable characters, and a story that is by turns outrageous, sad, funny, and surprising.
McCarthy has built her career on comedies since BRIDESMAIDS, with only a few forays into drama. Frankly, I don’t care much for McCarthy’s comedies generally but she is amazing in this dramatic role, and it is such a strange true story. McCarthy makes this prickly, unpleasant character, who is talented but self-destructive, into someone you care about anyway. Her scenes with Grant are wonderful, spiked with sarcastic humor and the kind of alcohol-fueled bad behavior that makes for a good yarn.
McCarthy and Grant have a terrific chemistry together that makes their scenes enormously enjoyable. Both are deserving of praise. But McCarthy carries to bulk of this film and her work is striking. While she has done a few other dramatic film roles, notably in ST. VINCENT with Bill Murray, this one may be a game changer for McCarthy, and a performance certain to spark talk of Oscar.
Whether Lee Israel’s fall was due primarily to alcoholism, changing popular tastes, a refusal to adapt to the marketplace, or just her own prickly personality is debatable but clearly she was a poster child for being one’s own worst enemy. With no other skill than writing and a knack for imitating the style of the great writers she admired, Israel embarked on a criminal endeavor that was both audacious and lucrative.
Movie promotional materials describe Israel as a cat lover but it is really only the one cat she cares about (and we later learn the reason for that). an elderly ailing black-and-white cat with litter-box issues..Still, her concern for this animal shows a warmth and responsible side of her not evident in most of her life.
Israel says she prefers cats to people but she clearly prefers whiskey and soda to everything else. With an disdain for all and a urge to insult, Israel makes enemies where ever she goes. McCarthy effectively conveys Israel’s anti-social personality in an early scene, when the author arrives at a party and immediately berates the hostess (her agent, played well by Jane Curtin), and then going on to be rude to everyone else in reach. Although Lee sometimes is attracted to other women, relationships are just too much work for her. There is one exception to her solitary curmudgeonly life, her friend Jack (played with great barfly charm by Richard E. Grant), another hard-drinking soul who shares her caustic wit. and eventually becomes her partner in crime.
There is nothing cuddly about this cactus of a person yet McCarthy draws us into her story and finds the human side under the hard crusty shell. Director Marielle Heller and scriptwriters Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty build an engrossing tale of someone falling into crime one step at a time, as well as a portrait of a talented person whose own flaws sabotage her.
Aided by a perfect score that features Billy Holiday and Lou Reed, CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME? is by turns ironically funny and tragically sad. It makes for an intriguing, sometime jaw-dropping wild trip, topped by what is easily the best performance that McCarthy has ever given.
Sure Halloween was a couple of days ago, but I’d wager there are still lots of film fans eager for a new scare. After all, audiences have kept the sequel/reboot of HALLOWEEN at the top of the box office for the last several weeks (probably this coming week also). This week’s new fright flick also has its roots from the same late 1970’s time frame, but it’s no follow-up. We’re talking a flat-out remake, or as the marketers like say, a “re-imagining” (fancy, schmancy I say). The original actually beat the John Carpenter classic to theatres by nearly a year. Oh, and it was made by one of Italy’s most acclaimed thriller directors, Dario Argento. Now, this new take is also by an Italian director, Luca Guadagnino, who last year at this time released the Oscar-winning, coming-of-age romance CALL ME BY YOUR NAME. Oh, that original had one English actress, while the 2018 edition features three (still a few subtitles, though). Having never seen the earlier flick, this is all new gore to me, so let’s enter the nightmare world of SUSPIRIA.
The story’s setting is Berlin, specifically East Berlin, a few years prior to the fall of that wall. A young woman makes her way past protestors to the walk-up office of an elderly psychotherapist, Dr. Josef Klemperer (Lutz Ebersdorf). Patricia (Chloe Grace Moretz) is in a panic and babbles about escaping from her tormentors. Meanwhile, way across the pond in Ohio USA, a young woman leaves her strict religious family farm home as her mother succumbs to disease. Cut to an elite dance academy back in Berlin, where that same young woman climbs the stairs to the rehearsal space. Susie Bannion (Dakota Johnson) has come there specifically to study with the famous Madame Blanc. Ah, but first she must audition for some of the other teachers. Blanc (Tilda Swinton) arrives near the end of her performance and is wowed. Susie is assigned a room and becomes fast friends with another student, Sara (Mia Goth). Early the next day, Susie joins the rehearsals of Blanc’s lauded ballet “Polk”. The lead actress is upset that she is replacing her friend, the missing Patricia, and leaves the hall. As she departs, she takes the wrong exit and is trapped in another dance space. As Susie performs the lead in “Polk” (she watched the videotape many times back home), the music and vibrations cause the trapped dancer on the floor below to contort, her bones twist and shatter as she literally folds in on herself. As she breathes her last, several of the teachers rush in and brutally move the body out of sight. Soon Sara’s curiosity is aroused when she sees two police detectives (investigating Patricia’s disappearance) are put in a trance by some of the dance teachers. This prompts Sara to visit Josef and eventually venture into the dank basement of the school building. Just what deadly secrets are the faculty keeping from the students? And could Susie be their next target?
As the queen choreographer Blanc, Swinton projects a cold aloofness, deftly alternating between cruel taskmaster and encouraging, sympathetic mentor. With a costume of flowing red robes, hair tightly pulled back, and always clenching a half-sized cigarette, Blanc is like a smoldering crimson manta ray, sweeping in to teach and berate her young charges. Of course, her main focus is Susie, played by Johnson as a fragile, wide-eyed innocent, though at times she seems a tad too mature for this ingenue role. But Johnson has the determined, confident body language of a gifted ballerina. Moretz in her scant screen time (much like PYSCHO’s Marion Crane she sets the events in motion, as her presence is felt long after her exit) helps establish a mood of mystery and paranoia. Goth makes a most diligent Nancy Drew-like seeker of truth, hoping to protect her new “sister” from the school’s secrets. The best work is from screen newcomer Ebersdorf who is almost a Van Helsing in a battle against forces beyond his comprehension. Though age has slowed him…I’ll stop now, since the cat has long been out of the bag. Swinton does double duty as the frail, kindly doctor with his own hidden past. Thanks to some excellent make-up, and Swinton’s skill this becomes more than a mere “stunt”.
Guadagnino envelopes the story, smothering it in gloom and shadows, The colors are muted, the lighting (save for the dance rehearsals) dimmed, often with figures emerging from deep, long shadows. “Old school” horror fans will be pleased that most of the more squeamish sequences rely more on prosthetic make-up effects and puppetry rather than CGI. This is particularly true of the film’s first big death sequence in which a young woman’s face contorts and her bones crackle while pushed against a mirror by unseen forces. For much of the second act, the threat of violence hovers, especially in the big group scenes with the unhinged unpredictable staff and faculty. Their meals and meetings tend to get ugly very quickly. The “Polk” performance is a compelling bit of dark dance with the ladies attired in red strings and strips of clothing and tassels that recall blood streaks. This is just a peaceful prelude to the “go for broke’, bonkers finale, a fever dream orgy filled with hellish deformed creatures and rivers of plasma and bile. There are attempts to explain the connections between events and characters, but we’re left with more questions than answers. Often sadistic and brutal, with haunting oddly lovely imagery, this over-stuffed (152 minutes) nightmare is for “gorehounds” who wants something beyond those lumbering masked madmen. But for the squeamish, SUSPIRIA serves up some pretty sick stuff.
If the multiplex is a rockin’, then DO come a knockin…at the ticket counter and go grab a seat. Just a few weeks ago movie audiences tapped their feet to the big concert sequences in the new version of A STAR IS BORN. And continue to flock to the flick, keeping it at the top of the box office and music charts, downloading and buying CDs (some folks still do) of the movie soundtrack. Yes, Cooper and Gaga are electric as singer/songwriters who fill concert venues (she’s had lots of real-life experience). But what’s out there for film fans still in a musical mood? How about a nostalgic look back at the story of a rock act that sold out stadiums? Not a documentary, like this past Summer’s WHITNEY, but a musical biography. Now, this has usually been a staple of TV, with recent “biopics” of Ms. Huston, her hubby Bobby, and his old group New Edition. This has been going on for decades (you could maybe fill a cable or streaming channel with the just the flicks concerning Elvis). For feature films, rock and roll has been a backdrop for satires and parodies, from THIS IS SPINAL TAP to POPSTAR: NEVER STOP NEVER STOPPING. Well, now Fox has stepped up with the story of the “real deal”, true “rock and roll” glamor gods of the 70’s and 80’s, Queen. Of course, their name in the title may make some filmgoers think that Helen Mirren stars, so to bypass any confusion the film’s title is taken from one of their most popular and enduring melodies, BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY.
Indeed, the story begins with a very packed arena, as the quartet make their way to the stage. Ah, not so fast, we’re quickly “flashed back” fifteen years to something of an “origin” story (rock stars are kinda’ real-life super-heroes). In 1970, twenty-something Farrokh “Freddie” Bulsara (Rami Malek) slaves his days away as a baggage handler at London’s Heathrow Airport. Once he punches his time clock he rushes back to his conservative Parsi family (Mum, Dad, and sis) home, jots down some song lyric ideas, and heads out to a bar where one of his favorite local bands, Smile (could the name have been inspired by the fact that one of the members studied dentistry), is performing. While waiting in the line outside, Freddie shyly flirts with a gorgeous young woman named Mary Austin (Lucy Boyton). She admires his fashion sense and suggests that he visit her at the clothing store where she works as a sales clerk. After the concert, two of the members of Smile, Brian May (Gwilym Lee) and Roger Taylor (Ben Hardy), are stunned when their lead singer tells them that he’s out (“no future in it”). As he exits, Freddie enters, complimenting them, then belting out some songs, ending in perfect harmony with the duo. After a shaky start (darn mike stand), they become a hit on the pub circuit, while Freddie really “hits it off” with the lovely Mary. After leaving the luggage job, Freddie becomes a real creative force in the band, changing his name to Freddie Mercury, and eventually changing the band’s name to the more “out there”, subversive “Queen”. Soon they attract the attention of EMI record exec John Reid (Aidan Gillen) who signs them up for the label and sends them on a worldwide tour, coordinated by Reid’s aide, Paul Prenter (Allen Leech). In the next few years, Queen becomes an international sensation. But Freddie wants to take creative chances, telling EMI head Ray Foster (Mike Myers) that their next album, appropriately titled “A Night at the Opera”, will mix rock and classical music. Foster balks at the end result (“no radio station’s gonna’ play a six-minute single!”). As Queen changes labels, Freddie’s engagement to Mary becomes strained as he struggles with his sexuality. Through squabbles, band changes including the addition of bassist John Deacon (Joeseph Mazzello), and the lure of fame, fortune, and staggering amounts of booze and drugs, Queen continues into the 1980’s. But will Freddie jump ship to another label in pursuit of a solo career? And what about that nagging cough?
This may be the story of the band Queen, but its lead singer is the film’s true focus. That “frontman” who’s really front and center is brought to enigmatic life by the phenomenal Malek in a real “movie-star-making” performance (he’s conquered TV as the star of “Mr. Robot”). Though the dental prosthetics are a slight distraction in the early sequences, Malek captures every conflicting facet of Freddie. Prior to auditioning, he’s shy and awkward, barely connecting emotionally with anyone save for Mary. Oh, but when he takes the stage, Malek projects that flamboyant charisma, shutting down all the hateful heckles and taunts with his talents. Away from the studios and arenas, Malek gives Freddie a haunted, child-like quality, a lonely lad hoping to fill the quiet with parties and indulgences. His kindred spirit seems to be Mary, the one who truly understands him. The beautiful Boyton (so great in an underrated pop music flick, SING STREET) as Ms. Austin adores this quirky, crazy-gifted guy, but knows that she cannot truly be united with him. Boyton shows us Mary’s bravery as she sets him free, but remains as his emotional “rock”. As for the rest of the band, Lee makes May an easy-going peacemaker, trying to keep things running smoothly. We also see his unbridled joy of performing, using his considerable guitar virtuosity in service of Freddie’s vision. Hardy as Taylor is more of a “grumbler” with less patience for Mr. M’s eccentricities. Yet somehow, this hard-rocker can delight in the group’s “off the wall” career directions (as long as he can afford a great car). Mazzello as the more recent member shows us Deacon’s delight to be considered a peer, while barely containing his glee that his audience-including suggestions are used. Leech as Paul is almost the “villain'” of the tale, a two-faced “gatekeeper’ keeping any other influences away from Freddie while supplying him with fresh flesh and pharmaceuticals. And there’s great comic relief from Meyers as the studio “suit” that just doesn’t “get it” along with Tom Hollander as Jim “Miami” Beach, a company “bean counter” freed from his shackles by these rock and roll rescuers.
Director Brian Singer (reportedly assisted by Dexter Fletcher) expertly captures those years of excess and kitchy camp. For a montage of highlights from the worldwide tour, he has the city names in streaming graphics styled after the opening titles of 1978’s SUPERMAN. As many rock and roll historians have said, the script by Anthony McCarten and Peter Morgan plays fast and loose with the timeline, injecting songs out of chronological order and adding time to the band’s “estrangement”. Plus it does fall often into biopic cliches where success no bringing happiness, but addiction. As another artist said “Mo money, more problems”. But even with those faults, the film is an exhilerating, often moving entertainment “machine”. First and foremost is the music, the incredible Queen catalog. Those who mostly associate them with the title tune (guilty) will be stunned at their many familiar hits (wow, they did that one and that one, too). One thing the film conveys more than most music (really any of the arts) bios is the effort and dizzying joy of creation. The whole “let’s try it, what the Hell” spirit of collaboration, particularly when the fellows put together “BH” in the farm/studio. The sequence’s “topper” is another terrific montage of mediocre to negative reviews of that iconic song from music critics of the era. But the emotional heart of the story, nearly blotting out seedy scenes that might have been outtakes from CRUISING, is the phenominal recreation of the 1985 Live Aid “medley”. Just as fate has dealt them a fatal “hand”, the band rallys together to spit in the eye of the Grim Reaper. The camera whips about the stadium, then cuts to several TV viewers of the compelling performance. We see that Freddie has grabbed the heart of, not only the thousands at Wembley, but millions across the globe. He’s almost declaring that, though his body may fail him, his talent is immortal. In those final minutes, we see how the power of music can bring much-needed comfort to countless souls. With Malek in command, audiences will be happily “banging their heads” once more in time to BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY.
