Gideon58's Reviews

Mr. & Mrs. Bridge
The creative team behind films like Howard's End and The Remains of the Day are slightly less successful with an Americanization of the stories they like to tell with 1990's Mr. & Mrs. Bridge, a crisp but somewhat talky look at a family that starts to drift apart that is still worth watching because it is the final feature film pairing of Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward.

It is shortly before the outbreak of WWII as we are introduced to Walter and India Bridge, an upper class couple who are the parents of a son and two daughters. Patriarch Walter runs the family with a firm but loving hand, but is in denial about the world's changing mores and how his children may be dragged down into sin and degradation. He is also completely unaware of India's discontentment as a woman who has been trained to be what her husband wants her to be and nothing else.

Three time Oscar winner Ruth Prawer Jhabvala's screenplay is actually based on a pair of novels called "Mr. Bridge" and "Mrs. Bridge" that is a slightly pretentious look at a wealthy family enjoying the perks of Walter's lifetime of toil at the local bank but secretly screaming on the inside, especially India, who has spent her entire life putting her own wants and desires on the back burner in favor of everybody else. We see a woman who has been completely devoted to her family, oblivious about her own unhappiness that even she seems a little surprised when she asks Walter if she can begin therapy.

Director James Ivory allows the story to unfold slowly, cleverly introducing us to the Bridge family in authentic looking home movies and eventually moving to their elegant estate where an outer air of civility and pleasantness is covered by the challenge of a changing society that is brewing underneath and the Bridge children are dying to be a part of.

The story gets a little long-winded, but the extraordinary performances by Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward keep this film imminently watchable. Watch Newman in the scene in the restaurant where a tornado is about to strike or watch Woodward when India is at the eagle scout ceremony or when she asks Walter if she should begin therapy...Woodward beautifully conveys India's heartbreak without ever letting her family know, but showing us. Woodward's rich performance earned her a fourth Oscar nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress. Also have to give a shout out to Blythe Danner's flashy performance as India's BFF Grace. It's a little slow in spots, but the Newmans definitely make it worth your time.

Hillbilly Elegy
Despite strong direction from Oscar winner Ron Howard and some powerhouse performances, the 2020 docudrama Hillbilly Elegy promises a very special look at family sensibilities in an exclusive culture, but ends up degenerating into an all-familiar tale of family dysfunction and addiction.

This fact based story begins as a Yale law student named JD Vance is trying to get into a graduate program when he gets a phone call from his hometown in the backwoods of Kentucky informing him that his mother has overdosed and has been hospitalized. As JD travels back home to tend to his mother, the story also flashes back to the toxic relationship he had with his mother as a teenager.

Vanessa Taylor's screenplay, based on the real Vance's memoirs, initially seems to be presenting a realistic peek into a subculture whose only exposure to us prior to this was The Beverly Hillbillies. After a beautifully scenic introduction to this very tight community where everybody knows everybody, the story cleverly alternates between a look at young JD's troubled relationship with his drug addicted mother Bev, and adult JD trying to help his mother start over again.

With a strong assist from film editor James Wilcox, Ron Howard does an exemplary job of moving back and forth between JD's constantly troubled teenage years and his adult life of establishing a law career. Unfortunately, with the title of the film and after the opening, we're expecting a specific look at a US subculture that eventually becomes a another story of addiction and family dysfunction, though it never gets boring.

Howard has mounted this story with great care and, as always, gets solid performances from his cast, led by six-time Oscar nominee Amy Adams as the very damaged Bev and eight-time nominee Glenn Close as her mother, a fascinating performance devoid of all glamour that has earned Close a ninth nomination. Owen Asztalos is also remarkable as young JD. It wasn't what I really expected, but it will hold viewer attention and Adams and Close deliver as the always do.

Pieces of a Woman
Grief and loss are not uncommon cinematic themes, but these themes get an unapologetic and unvarnished re-imagining in an emotionally charged cinematic journey called Pieces of a Woman that had this reviewer riveted to the screen and fighting tears for the majority of the running time.

The setting of this 2020 drama is contemporary Boston. Martha (Vanessa Kirby) and Sean (Shia LaBeouf) are expecting a baby girl and have decided to have a home birth aided by a midwife. As Martha's water breaks and labor begins, Martha and Sean learn that the midwife they've been working with is unavailable and a another midwife is sent to aid them. Unfortunately, something goes wrong and the baby dies before they can get her to the hospital. Sean and Martha are then shown dealing very differently with what's happened. Sean is angry and has spearheaded criminal proceedings to prosecute the midwife. Martha seems to have been just numbed by the tragedy and wants to donate the baby's body to medical research, but eventual Sean and Martha's individual grief come together to a tension that cuts like a sword.

Screenwriter Kata Weber has crafted a terribly personal and terribly voyeuristic story of a couple whose relationship is methodically destroyed by this unspeakable tragedy. Weber and director Kornél Mundruczó are to be applauded for the care and detail that they put into the scenes of the birth, realizing how important the actual birth and what happened during same are to the rest of the story that unfolds. It was impressive that the scenes of Martha going into labor were not limited to her screaming and grabbing Sean by the throat and yelling "You did this to me!" A squirm-worthy atmosphere is established instantly as we watch Martha not just screaming, but moaning, a low animal-like moaning, and unable to stop belching and wanting to vomit, side effects to labor I had never witnessed in a film before.

Weber finds unique ways to reveal backstory that will cross the viewer's mind as the story moves, though not all the questions that came to this reviewer's mind were answered. Most immediate was wondering why Martha wanted a home birth, which isn't answered until the final 15 minutes of the film, but I loved the answer. The other question that came to mind for this reviewer that never really was addressed was if Sean and Martha were only together because Sean got her pregnant, which was impossible to gauge because the first 30 minutes of the film frame Sean as the best prospective father- to-be ever. There are a couple of provocative storyline moves that I didn't see coming, but they just added to the richness of the story. Martha's courtroom speech was a little hard to take, but the carefully directed ending was breathtaking.

Vanessa Kirby's bold and brave performance as Martha earned her an Oscar nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress and Shia LaBeouf matches her scene for scene with his edgy Sean. Ellen Burstyn's powerhouse turn as Martha's manipulative mother should have earned her a nomination. A fresh look at the grieving process that had me fighting tears until the final scene, which had me grinning ear to ear.

Bathing Beauty
After a bit part in an Andy Hardy movie, MGM aquatic queen Esther Williams got her first official starring role in an elaborate but unremarkable musical called Bathing Beauty which despite an enchanting performance by Williams, suffers from an exhausting leading man and interminable musical sequences that just pad the running time.

The 1944 musical is about a producer named George Adams (Basil Rathbone) who wants his best friend, a songwriter named Steve Elliott (Red Skelton) to write the music for a water pageant he's producing, but Steve is giving up songwriting to marry his girlfriend, Caroline(guess who). A desperate George breaks up the marriage at the altar and a heartbroken Caroline returns to her job as a gym teacher at an all-girls school. In order to win her back, Steve enrolls in the school on a loophole in order to win Caroline back.

MGM poured a lot of money into this musical, which apparently was also designed to springboard some new talent they studio had discovered and wasn't sure what to do wit, including a Latino baritone named Carlos Ramirez and an organist named Ethel Smith. Ramirez' rendition of "Magic is the Moonlight" in Spanish near the beginning of the film and Smith's two organ solos are pleasant enough, but have nothing to do with the story and bring the film to a dead halt. Xavier Cugat and Harry James and their orchestras are also given way too much screentime . All this screen time would have been better suited getting Esther in the water.

The other big problem for this reviewer was Red Skelton's role, that was an uneasy mix of leading man and comic relief that doesn't really work. There's a sequence of Red pretending to be a woman getting dressed in the morning which I'm sure was an invention of Skelton's that the director and screenwriter let him do what he wanted that featured a lot of physical detail from Skelton, but it just wasn't funny. Neither was a number in a ballet class which feature Skelton in a pink tutu.

What did work here was an enchanting performance by Esther Williams, which only found her in the water at the beginning and the end of the film. The water ballet finale was spectacular and would later be featured in That's Entertainment, but there's about 90 minutes of very labored comedy and music the viewer has to wade through to get to it. And if you don't blink, you'll catch the film debut of dynamo Janis Paige in a tiny role. The film has its moments, but I was definitely checking my watch.

Minari
After the unprecedented Best Picture win for Parasite, it's easy to see why critics and audiences have embraced 2020's Minari, a deliberately crafted family drama that I thought was a foreign film, but it's actually an American film about a Korean family that has earned six Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and a finale that literally had me weeping.

It is the 1980's when Jacob and his wife decide to move from California to Arkansas with their two kids (son David has a heart condition) and free spirit Grandma. Jacob has purchased a parcel of land on which has planned to build a fruit and vegetable farm from the ground up. Jacob is pumped about this new life he's starting but Monica not so much and it's taking a toil on their relationship.

Director and screenwriter Lee Isaac Chung has crafted a lovely story that we initially think is going to revolve around clashing cultures, but instead what we get is a family being torn apart by the kind of things that lots of families go through, but it looks fresh here, because the story seems to imply that emotions are kept in check and unhappiness is not verbalized, especially through the Monica character, whose unhappiness and fear about this new chapter in her life is evident from the opening scene.

The expected bigotry/fish out of water story is scrapped here and what we find is a family that is embraced by their new community, but their inability to be completely honest with each other is what's keeping them apart. I had to chuckle when Monica tells Jacob that they can't afford to live in Arkansas and that life was easier in California. And the final fifteen minutes of this film destroyed me.

Lee Isaac Chung has received double Oscar nominations for directing and writing this gem, though the story does take a minute to get going. Steven Yeun has earned a Best Actor nomination for his strong and loving Jacob. This performance is so special...watch the conflicted emotions on his face when Monica announces that she and the rest of the family are leaving,. The one Oscar I'm sure this film will win is for Emile Mosseri's gorgeous music. It's not as good as Parasite, but any film that moves me to tears is worth your time.

was she on fast and furious shaw and hobbs movie? i swear she looked like the chick from the movie

I don't know, ever since I watched this movie, I got the feeling I've seen her in something but nothing on her IMDB page rang a bell with me./

State of the Union (1948)
Legendary director Frank Capra returned to Mr. Smith Goes to Washington territory with a talky but smart political comedy from 1948 called State of the Union that still brings the sizzle thanks to Capra's cinematic eye behind the camera and cinema's greatest acting team in front.

Spencer Tracy plays Grant Matthews, a wealthy industrialist with a solid political conscience but a strong loathing of politics, who is actually persuaded to run for President by Kay Thorndyke (Angela Lansbury) a ruthless newspaper publisher and ex-lover of Grant's and a slick-talking political spin doctor named Jim Conover (Adolph Menjou). Grant refuses to even consider a run for the White House without unconditional support from his wife, Mary (Katharine Hepburn), who does offer it, but can't stand it when Matthews' campaign staff tries to turn her husband into something he's not, not to mention the way the campaign is bringing Kay back into Grant's life.

Anthony Veillier and Myles Connelly adapted the screenplay from a play by Howard Lindsay and Russell Crouse that opened on Broadway in 1945 and ran for over 700 performances. Changes were probably made from the play to suit the talents of Tracy and Hepburn and I'm OK with that. The opening scene establishing how Kay earned her job and some scenes of playing cat and mouse in airplanes seemed to pad running time, but when the story centers in on Mr. and Mrs. Matthews and the venomous Kay Thorndyke, it's easy to stay invested in what's going on. I actually liked the fact that the screenplay was a little vague about Grant's past with Kay Thorndyke, but make it clear that it had a strong impact on the state of his marriage and that the wounds for Mary are still fresh.

This fifth onscreen teaming of Tracy and Hepburn is a little different for them as their is no romantic pursuit. Their characters are already married, but like most of the Hepburn/Tracy films, the viewer once again will find themselves trying to figure out who's wearing the pants in the relationship, something we're accustomed to with Hepburn's onscreen persona, but this Mary Matthews is no "speak when spoken to" hausfrau and we wouldn't have it any other way.

Tracy and Hepburn once again document their position as cinema's greatest acting team and Lansbury's crisp and controlled Kay Thorndyke is the perfect thorn in the side of this political marriage that doesn't start out that way. Menjou is terrific as Conover and Van Johnson has some funny moments as Grant's speechwriter, but this is the Tracy/Hepburn show, with a strong Frank Capra shaker and it goes down pretty damn smooth.

The Father
Playwright and director Florian Zeller has put a lot of style and impeccable detail into the 2020 film version of his own play The Father, a bold and terribly sad look at a universal problem that millions are dealing with on a daily basis, but spices it up with a couple of unconventional storytelling tools.

Oscar winner Sir Anthony Hopkins plays Anthony, an aging gentleman slipping into dementia, who is either unaware of it or in denial of it, who spends every waking hour trying to convince everyone, his daughter Anne (Oscar winner Olivia Colman) in particular, that he can live on is own and this 24/7 battle for continued independence has Anthony questioning his own sanity and everything else going on in the world.

Zeller and writer Christopher Hampton (who won an Oscar for his screenplay for Dangerous Liaisons) have received an Oscar nomination for this beautifully crafted story that, on the surface, appears to be simple and, if the truth be told confusing and all over the place, but if the viewer pays very close attention, the initial confusion experienced by the viewer is no accident and it is left up to the viewer to arrange the puzzle pieces of Anthony's life and put them together.

Don't get me wrong, for the first 30 minutes of this film, this reviewer was completely confused. It's unclear as to whether the flat where Anthony is actually belongs to him, Anne's marital status is unclear, and the story appears to flash back and forth. What seems to be going on here is that Zeller and Hampton's story seems to blend the facts of Anthony's life with what is going on in Anthony's life in Anthony's mind, which makes for a confusing but heartbreaking story about the aging process that makes squirm worthy entertainment. Though there is a lot Anthony is fighting here, it's interesting watching how his focus can boil down to something relatively minor, like his missing wristwatch which he accuses two different people of stealing. I also loved the way the music over the opening credits, which plays while Anne is going to the flat, reveals is what Anthony is listening to on his headphones. We later learn that all the music in the film is the music that Anthony listens to.

This groundbreaking drama has been nominated for six Oscars. In addition to Zeller and Hampton's screenplay, the film has also has earned a Lead Actor nomination for Hopkins' blistering performance in the title role, a supporting actress nomination for Olivia Colman, whose beautifully understated work as Anne is easy to overlook. Some of her strongest work in the film has nothing to do with dialogue. Watch her in the elevator scene when Anthony tells her how pretty she looks. There were other nods to production design, film editing, and, of course, Best Picture. It requires a little patience and the viewer might be tempted to check out early in, but will regret it because this complex and imaginative film is definitely worth the rocky ride.

you this guy on IMDB who wrote this review back in 2005?

Which?

Michael Che Matters
A couple of years after beginning to co-anchor "Weekend Update" on SNL, Michael Che was given his own Netflix special called Michael Che Matters that is smart and funny, but portions of what is presented here comes off as dated, which can't be blamed on Che.

Taped live from the Greenpoint Terminal Warehouse in Brooklyn, Che manages to cover a myriad of topics whose relevance in 2021 comes off as questionable. To put it in the proper prospective, the viewer has to remember that this special was filmed in 2016, which in terms of everything that has happened in the world since then, seems like decades ago. The viewer must remember that this special was taped before Donald Trump was elected President, before the death of George Floyd, and before the Pandemic crippled this country. It's hard to look at this special in the same context as when it was actually filmed.

Che starts off with a funny bit about a very personal encounter with a homeless person that could be taken as offensive, which smoothly segues into a discussion of the proper and improper use of the "N" word which actually garnered pretty big laughs because Che's thoughts on the subject went to different places than other comics have dared to tread and this is one thing liked about Che's writing and his delivery. His material has an edge, a bite, that often doesn't bring the big guffaws from the audience but definitely keeps them thinking and sometimes makes his audience feeling a little guilty about some of the things they're laughing at. Che's work here reminded me a lot of the great Dave Chappelle.

Che's discussions of Trump and "Black Lives Matter" seemed to divide and even temporarily alienate his audience, but Che didn't seem to care. He managed to overcome a lot of the tension he creates when personalizes what he's doing by making direct contact with two guys in the audience named Paul and Nick, seeking their individual viewpoints on Jesus and pornography. It was also interesting that the majority of the audience seemed to be made up of white females, which served as a perfect springboard for a strong dissertation about the powers that white females have over varied people and situations.

Che's writing is carefully structured and he stays pretty aware of what is working with his audience and what isn't. As long as the viewer keeps in mind that this concert was filmed in 2016, solid entertainment is provided here.

Malcolm and Marie
Did you ever wonder what happens with a Hollywood power couple after they come home from the movie premiere or the awards ceremony? A terrific premise is tackled in 2021's Malcolm and Marie, an edgy, self-indulgent, and stylishly directed, two-character drama that definitely earns an "A" for effort, but tries so hard to be different that it almost loses the viewer more than once, not to mention production issues that get in the way.

Malcolm is a film writer and director who has just returned from the premiere of his latest film with his glamorous girlfriend, Marie. It's immediately revealed that Marie is furious with Malcolm because we learn that during his speech before the film, Malcolm neglected to thank her, which is just a springboard for an often vicious, sometimes funny, and slightly over the top look at an extremely dysfunctional relationship wrapped up in a lot of Hollywood glitz that is methodically stripped away as the drama progresses.

Writer and director Sam Levinson shows real promise as a filmmaker here, taking a calculated risk with a two character movie, but sometimes he allows his obvious style with a camera and with a screenplay actually get in the way of the often legitimate issues that permeate the piece. There is some terrific camerawork here...loved the opening ten minutes of the film where we are watching Malcolm and Marie inside the house but the camera is outside the house. There are also moments where the characters are outside and the camera is inside the house that are equally effective.

Levinson's writing is intelligent and explosive, if a little long-winded because we realize early on that the entire movie can't possibly be about Marie not getting mentioned in Malcolm's speech and it's not, but it takes a little too long to get there. There are some breathtaking images in the film that would make lovely paintings, but they just slow the film down. A costume choice for Marie of a white T-shirt where her nipples are exposed for a good portion of the film also distract, especially when she first appears in it and the scene is initially sans dialogue. There's also an issue with audio where the director attempts to create intimacy in certain moments, but the audio makes it difficult to hear exactly what's being said and sometimes I felt like I was missing something important.

What I do love about the screenplay is that Malcolm and Marie are intelligent and articulate black people who are extremely knowledgeable about the business they're in. Malcolm has one tirade in the film where he actually references, David O Selznick, Spike Lee, and Elaine May in the same monologue. If the truth be told, Malcom and Marie reminded me of George and Martha in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf...two people who really knew how to hurt each other but also loved each other intensely.

John David Washington's often explosive performance as Malcolm commands attention and reminded me a lot of his father, but it's Zendaya's eye-opening performance that will surprise you. It's not a home run, but it's never boring and Sam Levinson is definitely a filmmaker to watch.

Top Secret Affair
Top Secret Affair is a breezy 1957 comedy that is about as predictable as they come, but there is entertainment value thanks to a witty and adult screenplay and offbeat roles for the stars.

Oscar winner Susan Hayward plays a wealthy publishing magnate named Dottie Peale who is not happy that a decorated army General (Kirk Douglas) has been selected to head an atomic energy committee, though she has planned to throw her publishing empire behind another candidate for the position. She takes it upon herself to disgrace the General personally in order for him to be considered unfit for the position, initiating an amusing battle of the sexes that takes both Dottie and the General out of their personal comfort zones.

The screenplay, based on a novel by John by John P Marquand, is clever and rich with a lot of sexual double entendres, more than I would expect from a 1950's comedy. Unfortunately, it takes a little too much time setting up the differences between the protagonists, which is unnecessary because we can tell exactly what kind of people they are from the moment they appear. It really wasn't necessary to spoon feed the viewer regarding what kind of people Dottie and the General are.

From Dottie's first entrance in the opening scene where we see her staff shaking in anticipation of her arrival back at the office after a two week vacation to the General stopping Dottie in her tracks with his impassioned rendition of "When the Caissons Go Rolling Along" in a crowded nightclub, it's quite obvious we have a case of opposites attract and the road to romance will have definite roadblocks. Though it was a pleasant change of pace to have the lady doing the chasing.

Not only are the characters taken out of their comfort zones, but so are the actors. Hayward reveals a little seen expertise at light comedy that was a pleasant surprise. There was a scene at her swimming pool where she's drunk that had me chuckling because we've all seen Hayward play several serious drunk scenes and it was nice seeing her playing drunk for laughs. Douglas, who has rarely looked better, comes off a little tight-jawed as the General initially, but as the story progresses we see why and it works for the character. Jim Backus and Paul Kelly also steal a scene or two in supporting roles. There are no surprises here making the film slightly overlong, but fans of Hayward and Douglas won't be disappointed.

Glad you watched this! I enjoyed it, it's just a fun farcical film. I'd rate it the same as you. What I thought was interesting was seeing Susan Hayward do comedy, instead of popping pills or downing booze by the gallon I can't really think of any other comedies she did?

She also did a comedy in the early 60's with James Mason and Julie Newmar called The Marriage Go Round. I Married a Witch was also a comedy but she only had a couple of scenes in that one.

Oh yeah, I forgot about The Marriage Go Round. I hardly remember her in I Married a Witch.

I did think of one Susan Hayward comedy I seen recently, Young and Willing a screw ball comedy with an ensemble cast. It was kind of fun in a frantic way.

Greyhound
Tom Hanks not only provides his accustomed star power but adapted the screenplay for 2020's Greyhound, a taut and claustrophobic game of cat and mouse during a WWII sea battle that provides the expected sweeping drama and action, but does it in a surprisingly economic fashion.

This Apple original production opens in 1942, just a few months after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor when Captain Krause (Hanks),a relatively inexperienced naval commander is given the dangerous assignment of leading convoy filled with soldiers and supplies for the British into an attack by a group of German U Boats who have made Krause's ship, the Greyhound, their primary objective.

Hanks adapted his screenplay from the CS Forester novel The Good Shepherd (not to be confused with the 2006 Matt Damon film about the CIA), which provides effective detail into military protocol, providing a sophisticated canvas upon which this action-filled drama unfolds.

And it is this part of the story that sets this film apart from a lot of military dramas. The story pays strong attention to basic traditions of military rank and file minus a lot of the expected melodramatic conflicts that usually arise in stories like this one. Captain Krause is established as the leader of this mission immediately and no one under his command is ever seen questioning his command. On the flip side, Captain Krause, despite his inexperience. never loses his head, always knows what needs to be done next, and never disrespects or belittles his crew. Even when there are moments when he's not exactly sure what is going on or what he should be telling his men, he never shows any sign of fear or ignorance regarding his next move.

I was also impressed with a couple of scenes that seemed irrelevant as they were playing, but they definitely come into play later. At the beginning of the film, we see the Captain saying goodbye to his wife (Elisabeth Shue), who gifts him with a pair of monogrammed bedroom slippers. There's also a couple of moments near the beginning of the mission where we see the ship's mess captain (Rob Morgan, who played Mary J. Blige's son in Mudbound) preparing elaborate meals for Captain Krause because he's worried the man is not eating. We don't understand these scenes as they're playing but they both become relevant later.

The film is handsomely mounted by director Aaron Schneider, featuring Oscar-worthy cinematography (those dangerous waters look so foreboding) and film editing, and the ship itself provides the claustrophobic atmosphere the story demands. And, incredible, the whole thing plays in 90 minutes! Well done and Godspeed.

I seen this recently and was disappointing in it and I do love me a good war film.

I think you and I disagreed about either Dunkirk or 1917 as well...we've always disagreed when it comes to war movies, LOL!