The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (2018)

Terry Gilliam's long anticipated project has finally seen the light of day. Despite getting off to a slow first act, the movie is wildly funny. It is over two hours, and that's a bit too long. It's the middle act, following Don Quixote and Sancho Panza on their misadventures. It features two raucous performances from Jonathan Pryce and Adam Driver, but it's kind of repetitive. The production value looks really expensive, and very Spanish. Reality blends with insanity in what I describe as magical realism/surrealism. It's certainly an unusual movie, but it's very entertaining and well worth a watch.

Gloria (2013)

This was an exercise in watching the same movie in a different language with different actors. For me, it was basically the same. Except they don't use the English-language version of Gloria. Paulina Garcia is great but I felt like the tone was different in Spanish. It wasn't as funny in Spanish, or maybe I didn't get the humor in Spanish. That's probably on me.

Master Z: The Ip Man Legacy (2018)

The martial arts scenes are well-choreographed fun, especially the glass of whiskey scene, and the fight atop the famed neon signs of Hong Kong. But the rest of Master Z is god awful. There is a combination of Mandarin and English; no Cantonese despite taking place in 1960s Hong Kong. It's near impossible to tell which Chinese people understand English and which white people understand Chinese. There are some half-hearted efforts to translate in the scene, but the biggest question remains...does Bautista's character understand Chinese? There are some unintentionally funny scenes amidst the bad dialogue. The movie is abnormally chaste for an action movie, there being only a slight tease of a romantic story line. And one note on the sound effects. Good sound effects usually have the quality of not particularly standing out because they sound natural. Just imagine how bad the sound effects have to be for me to notice. It's like they've never heard what gift wrap sounds like.

Kiss Me, Kate (2019) (Broadway)

In 2019, Cole Porter sounds real old-timey. The set is old-timey too but the set design really worked for me. The Taming of the Shrew is also commonly derided for being dated and out of touch. I wouldn't say that this production necessarily changes that. The all-female production of Taming of the Shrew that the Public Theater performed had more to say about our times than this second revival of Kiss Me, Kate does. "I Am Ashamed that People are So Simple" is renamed in this production from the original "I Am Ashamed that Women are So Simple". This single word change is a start, but it doesn't really address the misogyny of Taming of the Shrew, does it?

The best part of this production is the dancing. Corbin Bleu's three dance numbers: "Bianca", "Tom, Dick or Harry", and best of all "Too Darn Hot" are all electrifying. Too Darn Hot is astonishing. You'll notice that the best parts have nothing to do with the central plot of the show. The main plot is kind of uninteresting, but the subplots and the company numbers are a whole lot of well-executed fun. Corbin Bleu and Stephanie Styles will surely garner Tony nominations. Kelli O'Hara is just fine too, but it's not her best role. I wasn't crazy about Will Chase. I can't quite explain why. I think Steven Pasquale would have been a good choice.

Shazam! (2019)

Let's start off by stating the obvious, the dialogue is bad, really lame and cheesy. The question is whether this was intentional. I like to think the writers were fully aware and actually revel in the tonal awkwardness. That said, I don't think the trailer is a very good representation of what the movie actually is. There is no reference of the central conflict between superhero and villain in the trailer. The movie provides origin stories to both. We're sort of mislead into thinking the movie is about a kid with the power to turn into an adult, which is kind of lame. And that's certainly part of the gimmick. But there is a broader mythology that I was unfamiliar with. Points for casting. There were some genuine laughs. And points for the human part of the story. They could've just made an interesting story about a foster family, but it's a little more than that.

High Life (2018)

Claire Denis's first foray into sci-fi is titled High Life, probably because she was high on something when she wrote this incoherent mess. She just hopes that you don't ask any questions, especially why and how. How did he raise Willow in this spaceship? How did she learn to speak English? How does she know what a dog is? What is the point of Dr. Dibs's experiment? What if she succeeds...then what, they're on a one-way mission anyways. And who cares? It's not like she's breaking new ground, she's just being creepy. She truly does look like a witch; one whose English sounds weird for some reason, which is strange because Juliette Binoche speaks perfectly good English. And what if they succeed in the larger mission? Then what...how are they supposed to harness the energy of a black hole? What good does that do anyone on Earth? The premise just makes no sense. And the design is not your typical futuristic space ship. This is no Starship Enterprise. It is a bleak shoebox, dark, low tech, uninviting. Robert Pattinson has really proven himself to be quite the actor though. They're going to start casting him in daddy roles soon enough.

Amazing Grace (2018)

I wish I had seen this glorious movie under better circumstances; it has been a tiring week and I could not keep awake, but this is no indication of the quality of the movie. I am planning to see this again because this is by far the most powerful movie so far this year. Now that out of the way...

Amazing Grace is a legendary two-night concert documentary. Filmed in 1972 when Aretha was just 29 at the height of her singing prowess, Sydney Pollack famously messed up by forgetting the clapboard, leaving the audio un-syncable. With new technology forty years later, it was finally possible. And I'm so glad it has finally seen the light of day. Other than the big snafu, Pollack's verite style is a unique and intimate way to experience a concert.

I'm not a religious person. But I feel taken to church. Watching this movie was a transcendent, other worldly experience that can only be explained by the grace of god. From the first words out of her mouth, "Wholy Holy", I began to tear up. It is immediately evident how much gospel music means to Aretha and to James Cleveland (who is also hilarious) and the wonderful choir. It is loving, powerful, beautiful music. And in turn, you see what the church means to the audience, participating in the call-and-response interacting with Aretha and with God.  Amazing Grace was Aretha's tribute to the beautiful American institution that is the black church.

Private Life (2018)

Tamara Jenkins's Private Life is a touching, funny movie that is all too rare. It's about a middle-aged couple (a writer and a theater director) living in the Village desperately trying to have a child, by any means possible. Not only is the writing excellent and realistic, but the acting from Paul Giamatti and Kathryn Hahn have never been better.

Merrily We Roll Along (Off-Broadway) (2019)

I didn't really like it while I was sitting in the Laura Pels Theater, but Merrily We Roll Along has grown on me as time has passed the more I think about it. The story is beautifully bittersweet. It makes you wonder what was going on in Sondheim's life at the height of his career that he wrote such a downer. He claims that Opening Doors was the only autobiographical song he ever wrote, but are we really to believe that a musical about composers isn't personal? Maybe he was longing for a collaborator. The music is very Sondheim and quite beautiful: Merrily We Roll Along, Opening Doors, Old Friends, Like It Was, Not a Day Goes By...but I hate the ending. Our Time is awfully cheesy.

This off-broadway production features just six actors in what appears to be a prop warehouse of a set. The small cast makes things a little confusing as all the actors play multiple roles, and sometimes you can't quite tell if they're playing the main character or a supporting character. The whole backwards structure can be a little difficult to follow but it is an innovative way to tell a story. If I had known from the beginning that that was how it was going to be, I might've paid closer attention to the opening scene, because by the time we got to the end I forgot what they had said.

High Flying Bird (2019)

Steven Soderbergh's latest experimentation with iPhone filmography is excellent fun. It makes you think anyone can make a movie, but he has a special vision. You don't realize it, but it's a heist movie disguised as a sports movie. It's a basketball movie that takes place during a lockout. And this is all about the politics of the game, the game on top of the game, if you will. The message is overt and searing, delivered with smart writing and great acting.

Dumbo (2019)

Tim Burton's singular vision is stunning. Disney has totally nailed the animation turned live-action visuals. The CGI is so good. They had some practice animating elephants in The Jungle Book, and live action Dumbo is adorable. His eyes are real. There is so much emotion in those eyes. And many shots are in the reflection of those eyes taking on Dumbo's perspective. The first scene in which Dumbo takes flight is breathtaking. And to think Dumbo doesn't fly in the original until the end. This new version adds an element of humanity. The kids are great. Danny Devito is a natural ringmaster. The movie plays a little like a superhero movie: Dumbo's origin story, if you will. The super power is obviously flight. Dumbo is given motivation to use his powers, and ultimately uses them to save the day. Maybe that's why it got mixed reviews... because it is a little formulaic in that superhero template that critics have tired of. But certainly didn't expect that from Dumbo. And I like Arcade Fire.

Still the Water (2014)

Naomi Kawase's self-proclaimed masterpiece is beautifully filmed. There are a number of breathtaking scenes. But the movie as a whole is not very coherent. The two kids are great. Though the child porn at the end was unsettling.

The Beach Bum (2019)

Matthew McConaughey in the role he was born to play: the stoner poet Moondog. Harmony Korine's latest is a hilarious stoner movie. Harmony Korine's distinctive style is pleasantly out of place for a stoner movie. Snoop Dogg and Jonah Hill (in a hilarious faux Southern accent that's so bad it's perfect) are obvious choices for the supporting cast. Isla Fisher, Zac Efron (with now infamously ridiculous tiger facial hair) and Martin Lawrence are inspired. There are some glaring pot holes, but honestly, who cares? This is a rollicking good time.

Rat Film (2018)

The documentary Rat Film is a mesmerizing tale of the city of Baltimore told through its relationship with rats. Baltimore is full of interesting characters. Johns Hopkins is, of course, at the center of the story. A professor at Hopkins devised a new rat poison when the war cut off supplies of traditional rat poison from the Mediterranean. But killing the rats is just treating the symptom. A different professor wanted to tackle the disease itself. Ecology fostered an environment that was favorable to rats. By improving the living conditions of Baltimoreans, they would reduce the rat population. But where are the rats today? They are in the poorest neighborhoods, unjustly kept poor by policy and practice. Theo Anthony stares unrelentingly at the cold truths of racism and inequality in the Greatest City in America.

Us (2019)

Jordan Peele's much-anticipated follow-up to Get Out is not as overtly political and is much scarier. Peele is an auteur. His horror is not made of cheap jump scares. It is comprised of clever camerawork, pans that create artificial jump scares that are all the more terrifying. I recognize that there is an allegory here, but it's not obvious. And it kills me that I didn't get it. I predicted the twist early on but I don't see the significance of the twist. The symbolism is lost on me. The actors are all phenomenal. Lupita Nyongo is beautiful but somehow horrifying at the same time. With a bigger budget, they spent good money on the perfect music. I know there are people who are going to second viewings to catch things they missed the first time, but I have no desire to ever see this excellent movie again.