Tag: Lily Gladstone

THE WEDDING BANQUET (2025) – Review

Well, here comes another film to reflect the season of love, Spring. We’re in a short “window” in which romance rules the multiplex just as the big noisy Summer blockbusters start to trickle in (hopefully the MINECRAFT chaos and calamity don’t spill into the other screens). Now last week we saw a “first date movie that was also a “thriller-diller” (DROP). And what follows the initial meeting, perhaps much later? The big nuptuals, natch’. As with the former flick, this one is a mix as it can be considered a comedy-drama, or “dramedy’, while also tossing in another element: it’s a remake. And you’re beginning to feel your age when you can recall going to that original film almost 32 years ago. Oh, and some more plot twists are tossed in to add more flavor and a bit of spice to THE WEDDING BANQUET.


Now, the story actually focuses on two couples involved in the title event. We first meet millennial Lesbian couple Lee (Lily Gladstone) and Angela (Kelly Marie Tran) at an awards function honoring PFLAG mother-of-the-year, the latter’s mum, May Chen (Joan Chen). But the evening’s not over after she receives her plaque. The duo hastily retreats to an art show for textile creator Min (Han Gi-Chan), who is the domestic partner of Angela’s old college pal, stockbroker-in-training Chris (Bowen Yang). At the end of the night, the quartet heads back to the home they share, actually, the ladies live in the main house (which Lee inherited) while the men have made the garage their “space”. Things start to change for all of them in the coming days. Min is called into the Seattle branch of his family’s international company for an online chat with his Korean grandmother Ja-Young (Youn Yuh-jung), who, along with her hubby, raised him after the death of his parents. She belives that it’s time for him to return to his homeland to run the family business since his schooling is finished and he has no wife (Min hasn’t “come out’ to his conservative family). Meanwhile the IVF process for Lee and Angela to start a family has suffered another setback. The latest treatment didn’t “take” so Lee has only a couple more chances for motherhood.. Meanwhile Chris rejects Min’s proposal for marriage as he doesn’t want a “green card” wedding and cause Min’s family to disown him. Later, back at the house, Lee and Chris are stunned when Angela and Min hatch a plan. They will get married so that Min can stay in the country while helping to fund Lee’s next IVF try. Min sends word of his engagement to Korea and all seems well…until Ja-Young tells him that she’s boarding the family jet and will be there to meet his fiancée in just a few hours. Can the quartet pull off this ruse in mere hours? And what happens when Grandma insists on staying to attend and plan the big ceremony and celebration?

The many dramatic and comedic moments somehow work seamlessly thanks to the talented quartet at the story’s center. After several heavy tragic roles, Gladstone flexes her humor “chops” as the partner who is set on enduring any medical procedure in order to bring a child into her and her partner’s life. Her Lee is warm and caring, even as she must deceive a few folks in order to see her dream through…up to a point. Sparks fly when she must make a stand and attempt to get Angela to “open up”. In that role, Tran often “shuts down” rather than deal with her disappointments and frustrations, particularly with her flighty mother. Tran is also very funny as she awkwardly dons the disguise of subservient “wifey”, until she gets a chance to cut loose with her ole’ college pal. As Chris, the comic gifts of Yang, so good on SNL, is tempered with the character’s longing to be with his love, while knowing that his passion could cost Min everything, and forcing Chris to push him aside to avoid being a “family crusher”. Yang continues to be the master of reaction shots, from disgust to complete panic, especially when he must hide all the “gay decor, running about as if he were in a zany 1950s sitcom. He’s a terrific counterpoint to Chan as the sweet, somewhat naive artist Min, who doesn’t understand why Chris doesn’t believe that he’ll give up everything for him. There’s also wonderful supporting work from two veteran screen actresses. Welcome back, Ms. Chen (can THE LAST EMPORER really be 37 years ago) as Angela’s brassy, often clueless martiarch who now relishes and exploits her role as the proud “media mom”. And Yuh-jung proves her MINARI Oscar was no fluke as the stern but sweet grandmother who can’t be easily conned. Also of note is the raunchy, funny work of Bobo Lee as Chris’ wild, free-spirited cousin.

Director/screen-adaptor Andrew Ahn takes many of the basic plot points of Ang Lee’s 1993 classic and puts a fresh modern spin on the family dynamics and the alternative lifestyles, though these characters today are much closer to the urban “mainstream”. Ahn makes excellent use of the Vancouver locales that stand in for Seattle, and gives us a superb inside “peek” into the tradition of Asian unions, melding the cultures of Korea and China (those post-event feasts will have you drooling). Most importantly, Ahn’s riff on Ang hits all the right romantic notes as lovers squabble and reunite, while trying to navigate around those still rigid in the “old ways”. The pace is fluid, buoyed by a vibrant soundtrack. And, as mentioned, this exceptional cast never hits a flat or false”note”. Much like the meal itself, THE WEDDING BANQUET is warm, tasty, and very satisfying.


3 out of 4

THE WEDDING BANQUET is now playing in select theatres

FANCY DANCE – Review

The parade of smaller independent features continues to bump up against the blockbusters as the Summer continues to sizzle. Here’s a quirky drama that has similar themes to the modestly budgeted period piece from last weekend THE BIKERIDERS. In that film, a group of motley outsiders in the early 60s forged a family via a motorcycle club. Family is at the forefront of this film, though it’s set in the modern day, and rather than Windy City bikers, we’re given a look inside Native American culture. Oh, and as in the former flick, the principals are often living on the “wrong side” of the law, having to dodge the authorities, giving an added meaning to its title, FANCY DANCE.


The story takes us inside the world of thirty-something Jax (Lily Gladstone) and her teenage niece Roki (Isabel DeRoy-Olson) who share a home on the Seneca-Cayuga Nation Reservation in Oklahoma. Life has been hard since Jax’s sister, and Roki’s mother Tawi disappeared two weeks ago. The duo resort to lower-class crimes in order to survive, from a version of “three-card Monte” (“Find the corn”) to stealing cars. A big chunk of the cash is set aside for the upcoming tribal powwow in Tulsa. Roki believes that Tawi will return in order to join her there at the big mother/daughter dance AKA the “fancy dance”. Jax is not so optimistic since the tribal police led by blood relation JJ (Ryan Begay) can’t expand the search and the feds seem to be indifferent. Things become more complicated after a visit to Jax’s estranged father Frank (Shea Whigham), who’s not part of the tribe, and his new wife Nancy (Audrey Wasilewski). Soon after the two return home, Child Protective Services arrive to hand Roki over to her grandfather due to Jax’s criminal record (mostly selling weed to the oil rig workers), But the bond between the aunt and niece is so strong that Jax gets Roki away from Frank’s place in order to make the long trek to Tulsa, and follow a few leads on Tawi along the way. Can they get there in time, now that the two are trying to evade the statewide manhunt that has put their faces on nearly every screen? And could there be a mother-and-daughter reunion?

Proving that her bravado turn in last year’s epic KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON was no fluke, Ms. Gladstone ably carries the lead role as the flawed but brave Jax. Though she’s the eldest daughter in the film, it seems as though the odds are always against her, which perhaps leads to her shady past and dubious current crimes. Gladstone conveys that anger and frustration, especially at the lack of official concern for her missing sister. And though she is indeed a “bad influence” Jax truly nurtures her niece, even shielding her from the world’s cruelties. As Roki, DeRoy-Olson is the story’s warm sunshine, a teen full of joy and wonder, thinking that her mother will join her in her dance rehearsals very soon. She’s even open to her emotionally distant grandfather Frank, who is given a surly demeanor by the always compelling Whigham. He gives us the impression that the culture of his late wife never really mattered much to him, though he now feels obligated by his new wife, which Wasilewski plays as an awkward, but sweet, caring lady who yearns for an extended family with Roki. Kudos also to Crystle Lightening as Tawi’s co-worker at a strip club, who has a tenuous romance with the sullen Jax.

The terrific cast is expertly guided by director Erica Tremblay in her narrative feature debut which she co-scripted with Miciana Alise. It’s tightly paced, deftly flowing from heartbreaking family drama to suspenseful “on the run” road picture, with frequent dives into the tribal customs, from the powwows to the tense interaction with the feds. And even as Jax and Roki are racking up crimes, Tremblay makes us care for them and even root for them to stay ‘on the lam”. We never quite know where the journey will take these two plucky fugitives, or what danger is lurking behind any door or around the corner. The undercurrent of anger between Jax and Frank is nothing compared to her following a lead on Tawi by meeting with a hair-trigger pot “queenpin” or an officious ICE agent outside a mall. Perhaps the most nerve-wracking sequence is when Jax enters a cramped trailer to try and squeeze some info from a group of oilmen who only want to party after buying some weed, reminding me of a similar hair-raising scene from 2017’s WIND RIVER which also dealt with the epidemic of missing Native American women. And, there are also familiar themes from KILLER MOON as the authorities put these cases way, way on the back burner. All these elements mesh effectively into a very engaging “call to action” and a rough-edged portrait of a family clingingly to each other despite the odds. This FANCY DANCE is never flashy, but it’s one of the year’s most compelling films.

3.5 Out of 4

FANCY DANCE is now playing in select theatres and it streams exclusively on Apple TV+ beginning on Friday, June 21, 2024

KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON – Review

Lily Gladstone and Leonardo DiCaprio in “Killers of the Flower Moon,” premiering in theaters around the world on October 20, 2023. Courtesy of AppleTV+

In the 1920s, the people of the Osage Nation became the richest people on earth after oil was discovered under their supposedly worthless land. The money drew ambitious white men and not long after, Osage began to die in a series of suspicious deaths, some of which were clearly murder. Based on journalist David Grann’s bestselling non-fiction book “Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI,” Martin Scorsese’s KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON turns that non-fiction book into drama that combines elements of romance, mystery, and the history of the 1920s Osage murders, in an epic Western thriller starring Leo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro and Lily Gladstone.

Grann’s non-fiction book details these killings and suspicious deaths, which occurred as fortune-hunting white men found that marrying Osage women was a way to access the Osage Nation’s wealth. Their arrival was followed by a series of brutal, mysterious deaths, first noticed in 1921, but continuing for a long time with little investigation by the local authorities charged with overseeing law enforcement on tribal lands.

Scorsese turns this horrendous bit of history into an epic tale of evil, greed and deceit set in a sweeping Western landscape with one of unexpected love, in a visually lush, moving, tragic film. The film was a hit a Cannes, where it debuted out of competition. The film has resonated with both critics and audiences, but the most positive responses seem to come from those who read the bestselling non-fiction book. There is no need to have read the book to follow the story but it seems that having done so might deepen understanding of the Osage Nation’s plight. Scorsese’s film focuses primarily on this one story, while the non-fiction book takes a broader view.

Scorsese’ movie follows the deaths in one particular Osage family, of which Mollie Kyle is one daughter of the ailing matriarch, played by legendary Native actresses Tantoo Cardinal. Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio) returns from World War I with a war injury that limits the kind of physical work he can do, and comes to stay with his uncle William Hale (Robert DeNiro), known as King, hoping to find work. The uncle has a prosperous ranch within the Osage reservation but his land has no oil. Having lived there so long, King Hale has established friendly ties with the Osage Nation, and even speaks the language, but he is also a powerful man some fear. King sees an opportunity with his handsome but not-too-bright young nephew, and before long he is hinting that his nephew might want to marry one of the Osage women, and even offers some advice when speaking to them.

Ernest listens politely but doesn’t entirely buy his uncle’s idea. Still, in addition to doing odd jobs for his uncle while living in his mansion, Ernest also drives an informal taxi service since most of the Osage don’t drive. While richer Osage have chauffeurs but others just hire taxis like Ernest’s. Waiting for potential fares, he spots and taken by one pretty young Osage woman, Mollie Kyle (Lily Gladstone). She coolly rebuffs his offer, and his flirtatious advances. Yet, later when she does need a ride and he again badgers her to let him drive her, she begrudgingly gives in.

She remains stand-offish during the ride but over the next days, his persistence and good humor start to amuse her, and she softens. “He’s dumb but he’s handsome,” she tells her sister, shortly before she invites him to dinner at her home, a mansion she shares with her aging mother Lizzie Q (Tantoo Cardinal).

Ernest is truly smitten almost from the start and Mollie eventually falls for him too. The love match certainly is convenient for the uncle who has his own plan for his nephew’s new wife and her family.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert DeNiro are excellent, essentially playing against type with DiCaprio’s dimwitted Ernest manipulated by DeNiro’s Machiavellian uncle. But the big revelation is Lily Gladstone, in what may be a star-making performance. Scorsese cast Native actors in several roles as Osage, including Lily Gladstone, who is of Piegan Blackfeet and Nez Perce heritage and grew up on the Blackfeet reservation, but she is also a cousin of British former prime minister William Gladstone. She gave standout performances in small roles in two Kelly Reichert films, CERTAIN WOMEN and FIRST COW, but this larger starring part gives her a chance to really shine. And shine she does, nearly stealing the movie from her more famous costars.

Robert DeNiro’s uncle King is all sweetness and solicitousness when dealing with the Osage, and even his nephew Ernest, most of the time, but he can forcefully, frighteningly pivot if he doesn’t get his way. Even in his smiling mode, DeNiro’s King has an underlying current of menace. The Osage deal with him as a friend in public but when just among themselves, there is fear and growing suspicion. Ernest isn’t the only white man to marry into Mollie’s family, and the family trait of diabetes means that Mollie, her mother and one sister are often sickly, in this pre-insulin era. DiCaprio’s Ernest gives mixed messages about who he is and his true motives, seeming to truly waver between good and bad, although we are never certain, and perhaps Ernest isn’t either.

But as people start to turn up dead, even in Mollie’s family, in freak accidents and even clear murdered but with no suspect found, things grow tense and then frantic. The Osage leaders know the community is under attack but are powerless to stop it.

Several messages and messengers are sent to the federal government back east, alerting them to the murders, with little effect. Finally a representative of the newly-formed FBI appears, in the form of seemingly mild-manner official, played well by Jesse Plemons.

Epic is the right word to describe this drama, as this film runs about three and a half hours. However, the film is so well structured, so involving and gripping, and so perfectly paced, that one does not feel the running time.

The photography is stunning, as are the costumes and careful attention to period details, making the film both an immersive experience and visually pleasing. In an opening scene, oil gushes from the ground, spewing over some Osage men transversing the windswept plain, symbolicly covering them. In another moment, a huge fire fills the screen in a nighttime scene, creating a horrifying image that mirrors the growing panic of the Osage people under attack by the hidden foe. Eventually tTension is so thick as the drama unfolds that both the characters and the audience are on edge.

Scorsese also skillfully uses a number of period-appropriate techniques to give us a strong sense of time and place for this moving drama. These include written text in a form that resembles title cards in silent movies of the era, newspaper headlines and newsreel footage in movie theaters referencing the Tulsa Massacre, which overlapped these events, and period appropriate jazz, blues and old-time country music. Towards the end, Scorsese uses a radio drama format in a thrillingly effective scene.

One does not have to have read the excellent non-fiction book to follow this tale of love, betrayal and murder, but having read the book deepens one’s understanding of the history it depicts. The film only lightly touches on details such as that Osage were among the peoples relocated to what would become Oklahoma in the Trail of Tears tragedy. Like the Cherokee, the Osage had made a decision to partly assimilate while retaining parts of their culture, in their own fashion, trading with the white economy and adopting some of white culture such as a written language. The hope was to avoid the annihilation happening to other Native peoples, by becoming “civilized” and working in partnership with whites.

The drama unfolds in stages, smoothly shifting at each step, first a romance and family drama, then a crime drama and mystery, then a courtroom drama. At each pivot point, the characters develop and transform, revealing more of their true nature or being changed by events. The end is both heart breaking and exactly as it should be. It all adds up to a stunning piece of cinema on a unjustly forgotten moment of in the long history of injustices toward Native peoples. KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON is a masterpiece movie by a master filmmaker, which seems a likely Oscar winner.

KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON opens in theaters on Friday, Oct. 20.

RATING: 4 out of 4 stars

Win Passes To The St. Louis Advance Screening Of KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON

At the turn of the 20th century, oil brought a fortune to the Osage Nation, who became some of the richest people in the world overnight. The wealth of these Native Americans immediately attracted white interlopers, who manipulated, extorted, and stole as much Osage money as they could before resorting to murder. Based on a true story and told through the improbable romance of Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Mollie Kyle (Lily Gladstone), “Killers of the Flower Moon” is an epic western crime saga, where real love crosses paths with unspeakable betrayal. Also starring Robert De Niro and Jesse Plemons, “Killers of the Flower Moon” is directed by Academy Award winner Martin Scorsese from a screenplay by Eric Roth and Martin Scorsese, based on David Grann’s best-selling book.

Hailing from Apple Studios, “Killers of the Flower Moon” was produced alongside Imperative Entertainment, Sikelia Productions and Appian Way. Producers are Martin Scorsese, Dan Friedkin, Bradley Thomas and Daniel Lupi, with Leonardo DiCaprio, Rick Yorn, Adam Sommer, Marianne Bower, Lisa Frechette, John Atwood, Shea Kammer and Niels Juul serving as executive producers.

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro and Lily Gladstone, “Killers of the Flower Moon” will premiere in theaters around the world, including IMAX® theatres, on October 20th, 2023.

Advance Screening is 6:30PM on Tuesday, October 17th at B&B West Olive – Creve Coeur (5PM SUGGESTED ARRIVAL)

Seats will not be guaranteed.

Enter at the link below.

http://gofobo.com/EKkyl65056

RATED R

Martin Scorsese’s KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON First Trailer Features Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone And Robert De Niro

Apple Original Films today unveiled the teaser trailer for Martin Scorsese’s highly anticipated feature “Killers of the Flower Moon.”

Premiering at the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday, May 20, “Killers of the Flower Moon” will be released exclusively in theaters worldwide, in partnership with Paramount Pictures, limited on Friday, October 6, and wide on Friday, October 20, before its global debut on Apple TV+.

Directed by Scorsese and written for the screen by Eric Roth and Scorsese, based on David Grann’s best-selling book of the same name, “Killers of the Flower Moon” is set in 1920s Oklahoma and depicts the serial murder of members of the oil-wealthy Osage Nation, a string of brutal crimes that came to be known as the Reign of Terror. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone, Jesse Plemons, Cara Jade Myers, JaNae Collins, Jillian Dion and Tantoo Cardinal.

At the turn of the 20th century, oil brought a fortune to the Osage Nation, who became some of the richest people in the world overnight. The wealth of these Native Americans immediately attracted white interlopers, who manipulated, extorted and stole as much Osage money as they could before resorting to murder. Based on a true story and told through the improbable romance of Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Mollie Kyle (Lily Gladstone), “Killers of the Flower Moon” is an epic western crime saga, where real love crosses paths with unspeakable betrayal. Also starring Robert De Niro, Jesse Plemons, “Killers of the Flower Moon” is directed by Academy Award winner Scorsese from a screenplay by Eric Roth and Scorsese, based on David Grann’s bestselling book.

Hailing from Apple Studios, “Killers of the Flower Moon” was produced alongside Imperative Entertainment, Sikelia Productions and Appian Way. Producers are Scorsese, Dan Friedkin, Bradley Thomas and Daniel Lupi, with DiCaprio, Rick Yorn, Adam Somner, Marianne Bower, Lisa Frechette, John Atwood, Shea Kammer and Niels Juul serving as executive producers.

To date, Apple Original films, documentaries, and series have earned 365 wins and 1,452 award nominations and counting, including multi-Emmy Award-winning comedy “Ted Lasso” and historic Oscar Best Picture winner “CODA.”

Lily Gladstone and Martin Scorsese behind the scenes of “Killers of the Flower Moon,” coming soon to Apple TV+.