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.

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019)

There are two really striking parts of this movie. First are the visuals. Never have I seen such real-looking animated clouds, grass, ocean, and sand. It is stunning. We get to appreciate the scenery with lots of wide shots with small swarms of dragons in a corner. The soundtrack is also fantastic. It is at once reminiscent of Mussorgsky and Debussy and Bernstein. In my head I could hear the music from West Side Story when Tony and Maria spot each other from across the gym. It would have been perfect for the courtship of Toothless and the Light Fury. I was sort of indifferent about the story. In fact, I kind of got some mixed messaging. I remember a message of tolerance. They lived in a world where the Vikings killed dragons. Hiccup taught them to live with the dragons in harmony. And in this movie, we are taught that you can't change peoples. They ultimately have to run from their problem. And in the end, they can't live together in harmony. The dragons must go off on their own. There is a message about letting go in there but in the wider context of the trilogy, it seems a little inconsistent.

Ocean's 8 (2018)

A pretty clever heist movie, albeit unrealistic but it's still quite a bit of glamorous fun. Sandra Bullock plays the lead but among this star studded cast I think she gets outshone. Actually, though they're all good, none of them really get that opportunity to truly shine. Except Cate Blanchett. She could do anything. She commits herself to playing thief as she does to playing royalty or playing an elf.

The House With the Clock in its Walls (2018)

I describe this as a kid-friendly fantasy thriller. And so it is appropriate that the IMAX screening is preceded by Michael Jackson's Thriller, in new glorious 3D. Michael Jackson is good fun and the transformation scene in 3D is actually really freaky. The whiskers shoot out in 3D!

As for the main event, the movie is well-acted and cutely cast. If you like Young Sheldon, you'll love Lewis. Man, this kid is Sheldon-level weird, a social outcast. His potential friend Tarby is a real stereotypical greaser character. The school is really remarkable in how retro it feels. Cate Blanchett is divine. She really acts like she wants an Oscar no matter what the role is. And Jack Black is perfect for kids movies. He blends just the right amount of humor and charm. The movie is really quite fun overall.

Coffee and Cigarettes (2003)

Jim Jarmusch's Coffee and Cigarettes is a series of 9 random vignettes centered around the theme of characters--some top notch actors--chatting over coffee and cigarettes, which look good in classy black-and-white. The conversations are abundantly awkward, and that it makes it hilarious and cringy at the same time. Very little happens in some of them (No Problem) and you just wait wanting more. There are some recurring topics of conversation, but the scenes are otherwise unrelated. Some of the best segments are Twins, Somewhere in California, Those Things'll Kill Ya, Cousins, Cousins? and Delirium. 

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Taika Waititi's first foray into the superhero world of Marvel is one big joke. That's not necessarily new for Marvel, think Guardians of the Galaxy. But the action really takes a backseat to the unrelenting, self-aware comedy. Overall, it is an enjoyable movie. It's just fun. Cate Blanchett must have been paid a ton of money to do a superhero movie, much less a comedic one. She is superb as always. But I think the real star here is Jeff Goldblum. I personally think he is one of the funniest actors in Hollywood. He has this nonchalance to his delivery that is so disarmingly funny. The premise of the plot, which mostly takes place on a bizarre lost junk world run by Jeff Goldblum, is kind of wonky. It is totally irrelevant to the Avengers storyline and even Thor's storyline, an awkward diversion from the main battle. But the actual Asgard part of the arc is rather clever. That is where Ragnarok comes into play. There is a brilliant resolution of mythological proportions. I won't give it away, but the serious part of the plot is actually quite well done.

Carol (2015)

Carol is a gorgeous love story by Todd Haynes,  a pure romantic drama at its core. Haynes is a master of his craft, creating a beautiful depiction of 1950s New York (the costumes!). Haynes loves the time jump and there is one major time jump in the beginning that is not immediately obvious but very important and well executed. We start in the future and witness the dynamic between Carol and Therese from a third party perspective. Then we go back to see how their relationship evolved interestingly alternating perspectives between Carol and Therese.

The screenplay is very well written. The story moves along very slowly, but that is all the better to bask in its beauty. What moves the film forward is the music. I love the score. The piano plays heavy chords in the recurring theme that are mostly steady save for a single measure that is played in double time. It is subtle, but it builds anticipation just enough. The music adds to the mysterious atmosphere, along with the clever cinematography. Many of the images are indirect, like how Therese sees the world through her camera and how we watch reflections in murky windows. It adds to the aura, as does the divine (yet undoubtedly mysterious) Cate Blanchett.

Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara are both brilliant. They both show extraordinary vulnerability and immense passion for each other. Their love is forbidden in their time and it tortures them so. They show restraint. They are simply a joy to watch.

I'm Not There (2007)

I'm Not There is a very innovative biopic that very loosely based on "the many lives" of Bob Dylan.  Dylan is played by six different actors, including a black child actor, and a woman.  Each character goes by a different name (none of them Bob or Dylan) and they represent different stages of Dylan's life, or rather different parts of his persona.  Cate Blanchett was especially convincing playing a 60s-era Dylan.  I wish I knew a little more about Bob Dylan because I feel like I missed out on a lot of the details that were included in the film that allude to his life.

The film is very stylish with two of the six actors being portrayed in black and white, and one of the six being portrayed in a documentary format.  Time is not linear in the slightest, jumping constantly between personas.  The whole thing is very surreal and sometimes you're not quite sure what to make of what you're seeing on screen.  But it is fitting for such an enigmatic man as Bob Dylan.

The film opens with a motorcycle accident (a reference to Dylan's own motorcycle accident) and Jude Quinn's subsequent autopsy.  I could not help but draw a parallel to the opening of Lawrence of Arabia, another biopic about a complex man who wore different personas in different phases of his life.  

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)

I still maintain that the Hobbit did not need three films to tell a complete and satisfying tale.  In the novel, Bilbo misses the majority of the climactic battle, resulting in a battle that only lasts a few pages. Comparatively, this battle lasts for over two hours.  The movie is mostly this one gigantic battle, and it gets a little old.  The whole movie is literally battle scenes without much room for plot, not that much plot was left after the second film. That being said, this is the shortest film in either trilogy, rightfully so.

Nonetheless, this movie is the culmination of over a decade of work by Peter Jackson.  This is the capstone on JRR Tolkienn's imaginative masterwork that is Middle Earth (I don't see Peter Jackson making a film version of the Silmarillion).  It is a fitting end to an excellent series.  If the series was characterized by epic battles, this movie certainly epitomizes epic battles.  If Peter Jackson was a master of visual effects, the opening sequence in which Smaug the dragon destroys the town is stunning.  Remember that magical score by Howard Shore from the original trilogy?  The final scene in the Shire (coming full circle) closes with the theme we know and love.  The ending credits have a familiar voice in Billy Boyd (Peregrin Took from the original trilogy) who fittingly sings "The Last Goodbye."  Goodbye Middle Earth...  

  

How To Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)

The sequel to the children's favorite from 2010 does not disappoint.  In fact, it builds on the intriguing world created in the first film, including a new game of Quidditch on dragons.  The Vikings of the fictional town of Berk, much like those of the real world, begin to explore and consequently encounter new lands and peoples.  This movie takes a slightly darker, more mature turn than its predecessor, appropriately growing up with its audience.  With Pixar taking a break this year, Dreamworks picks up the slack with Pixar-level emotion.  It is highly imaginative film and the animators keep up with incredible artwork.  Who knew dragons could be drawn in so many different ways?  And the image of the giant Bewilderbeast is a brush stroke of brilliance.