Mrs. America (2020)

The miniseries from FX on Hulu is quite good on the whole though some episodes in the middle are not as interesting. I think especially powerful is the Shirley Chisholm episode, helmed by an excellent Uzo Aduba. The episode speaks to the power of representation, even symbolic. Chisholm is the first woman and first African-American to make a run for president. And even if she never really stood a chance, seeing her on the stage was incredibly important. The Bella Abzug episode is also very good, helmed by Margo Martindale who tends to play politician-types, always very well; her costumes and accent and gestures are really great. What makes her episode especially powerful is the argument it makes about radical change. Ideas that may sound radical, over time, can and do move into the mainstream. The moment she realizes this while visiting Betty Friedan, known for her own brand of radicalism. Feminism, which once seen as radical, in her own lifetime, moved into the mainstream, and today (at least in the Obama era) are self-evident ideals, that a woman deserves equal pay as a man, for instance.  And then I also thought the Houston episode was very good, which takes place at the 1977 National Women's Conference. The STOP ERA women are at the Convention without their leader, and left on her own, Sarah Paulson's character in her drunkenness starts to see the light. The episode is a trip like something out of The Good Fight.

In a terrific ensemble cast, Cate Blanchett is the crown jewel as the awful Phyllis Schlafly. Even playing such a hypocritical brainwashed witch, Blanchett is typically excellent. I remember learning about Schlafly in school specifically as part of the anti-ERA movement but not as the mother of modern Republicanism. I think the series may give her a little too much credit for birthing Reaganism. Her valuable mailing list becomes the base of the modern Republican party. The irony is Reagan doesn't offer her a place in his administration, supposedly because he is already unpopular enough with female voters. However the line from Schlafly to Trumpism is much darker.

The Lego Movie 2: The Secon Part (2019)

It's not as original or clever or novel as the first Lego Movie. It's passable. It's a typical kids movie, but nowadays good kids movies are much deeper and more imaginative. Especially following Lord and Miller's recent Spiderman, this comes up short.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay--Part 2 (2015)

This is a much darker film than other blockbuster series. And that tone matches the the book but I didn't really like the last book. The Hunger Games series was great because of the hunger games. But the last two films don't feature a hunger games. They focus instead on rebellion, which is complicated, cynical and messy. Much of this final movie is spent filming propaganda. And there is no glamour in propaganda. There is no glamour in war. It makes you long for the extravagance of the earlier films. Jennifer Lawrence can do no wrong-- she'll forever be known as The Girl on Fire. The novelty has kind of worn off now that dystopian teen fiction is everywhere, only exacerbated by splitting the final book (arguably the worst one) into two films.

Love & Mercy (2015)

Paul Giamatti is so creepy as the hack of a doctor Landy. He just does evil so well. Coincidentally, this is the second evil music producer he has played this year after Straight Outta Compton. The music is very different. It is less about lyrical genius and more about musical genius. Brian Wilson created complex layers of instrumentation. Paul Dano brilliantly and effectively plays a young Wilson who is just beginning to hear voices in his head. The studio scenes are incredible. They are shot on Super 16 handheld cameras documentary style. These are candid, intimate shots in the studio zooming in and out of Wilson instructing the musicians on the exact sounds he is trying to produce. He experiments with literal pet sounds, puts hairpins in the piano, and keeps his voice in the track. He has complete control over the studio, making sure that he achieves perfection. There is a shot of Wilson working with the cellist and the camera rotates to film the rest of the studio while the action takes place off camera. You hear it but you don't see it. This recurs in the film. The music naturally has a lot of sound mixing, and the sounds tell the story as much as the pictures do--such is the power of music.

The texture given to the young Wilson scenes contrast John Cusack's scenes of an older Wilson. The story jumps back and forth in an innovative approach to the biopic. And I like that different actors were cast to play the same man, like in the Bob Dylan biopic I'm Not There (also written by Oren Moverman). We primarily see the man under the care of Dr. Landry who has been suffering from his mental illness for many years. And in between there are glimpses of the younger Wilson, to remind the viewer of the genius that is being hidden by his illness. But here is the nuance, the illness inspires Wilson to write some of his most revolutionary and iconic music. The title Love & Mercy is a fitting one that is also one of his songs, without giving away too much. And the original song "One Kind of Love" written by Wilson for the film is very good. It was inexplicably left off the list of Oscar-eligible songs this year, though it might win the Golden Globe.

Pitch Perfect 2 (2015)

I am not a huge fan of a capella in the first place, but I was at least able to enjoy the first one.  On the other hand, the sequel just was not that funny.  Rebel Wilson is more naturally funny in a self deprecating way, and she gets most of the comedic lines.  Perhaps some of the magic has worn off this time around. At least the last one painted a plausibly honest picture of college life.  This one was just ridiculous and unrealistic.

As for the music, Anna Kendrick has a bizarre, interesting, genuinely enjoyable duet with Snoop Dogg singing Christmas carols.  The original movie had a huge hit in the song "Cups" which is reprised in this film with less fanfare and notably without the eponymous cup.  In the sequel, I think the audience was supposed to latch onto the song "Flashlight" by Jessie J, which is posed as an original written by Haley Steinfeld's character.  However, the song just isn't as catchy as cups and lacks the novelty of the percussion.  Haley Steinfeld proved that she could sing in last year's Begin Again, but she really did not stand out singing in an a capella group.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part I (2014)

The penultimate Hunger Games film is all about setting up the final battle between Katniss and the Capital.  Where this movie fails is that it does not give the viewers quite enough.  When it comes down to it, just not that much happened and the action was kind of lacking. I, for one, am not a fan of the recent trend of splitting the final book of a series into two parts. To be fair, I was not particularly fond of the last installment of Suzanne Collins's Hunger Games trilogy anyways.

But this movie does some things right.  With an ensemble cast, there are some very solid performances. This is one of Philip Seymour Hoffman's final roles and his performance does his legacy justice.  And Jennifer Lawrence is good in everything she does (though she doesn't do anything terribly special).  This film does lack the stylish glitz and glamour of the Capital, and the intensity of the Hunger Games that stood out in the first two films.     

The Lego Movie (2014)

This is the best conceived animated film of the year by far.  The level of creativity on this film is at the highest level.  The dreaded super weapon is known as the Kragle, that's Krazy Glue with a few letters scratched out.  The animators have created entire cities out of Lego pieces and the characters quickly construct vehicles out of the beloved children's toys.  It looks like a really good stop motion, but it is in fact just innovative computer animation.  The visuals are just incredible.

The humor is fast-paced, clever, full of cultural references and just pure fun.  The movie is reminiscent of the cut scenes that can be found in Lego's series of video games (which I admit are quite fun).  The jokes are similar, the animation is similar, and the master builders are basically video game characters.  Whereas the video games and Lego sets separate Batman from Star Wars and pirate ships and the wild west, this film melds them all together, much to the benefit of Lego's marketing department.

The voice work is fantastic.  Chris Pratt is having a very good year.  As Emmett Brickowski, he nails the dim-witted, unassuming hero-type.  Morgan Freeman is perfect as usual as the wise mentor-type.  And Will Ferrell makes a surprise appearance in human form towards the end of the film.  Without spoilers, it is his appearance that gives the film its heart.  It was unexpected, but pleasantly thoughtful and wholly welcome.