REVIEW: 

CRY MACHO ★★★

At an age when most actors are either retired or picking up checks from character roles on TV ensemble shows, Clint Eastwood defies expectations and continues to find suitable starring roles at 91. In "Cry Macho" he plays ex-rodeo star who fell on hard times after a tragedy left him a shell of his former self. One day, his old boss Howard (Dwight Yoakam, "Sling Blade") comes to him with a proposition to travel to Mexico and retrieve his young son for him as payback for the help he's given him over the years.

Thus sets up the premise for the film, which unfolds in a very relaxed, easy manner, as Eastwood's character Mike Milo meets and befriends the teenager Rafo (Eduardo Minett) on what essentially becomes a scenic road trip with a stop in a quaint town where they hide out from authorities in churches and diners. Along the way, they meet a kindly local Mexican woman named Marta (Natalia Traven) who provides the duo with some food and comfort on their journey.

The two are joined on their quest by Rafo's pet rooster, which is used for cockfighting and therefore named Macho for his ability to defeat other roosters. It also serves as a metaphor for a number of things in the film, which is about what really matters in life and how to pick our battles. A couple of henchmen loyal to the boy's sketchy mother try to prevent them from reaching the border, which leads to a nice little show of physicality on Eastwood's part, but for the most part the movie focuses on the lessons learned between a boy finding out who he wants to be and an old man trying to find a reason for being. On that level, "Cry Macho" works, because we like these people and want them to be happy.

However, the script doesn't have the ambition to reach for more when it could have been a bit deeper or more epic. I think that was a deliberate choice for Eastwood as a director, wanting to simplify his message and just show people living and continuing to grow internally. The picture is typically well-made, with lovely cinematography by Ben Davis ("Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri") and an equally nice score by veteran composer Mark Mancina ("Speed," "August Rush").

If anything, this is a film that proves that less can sometimes be more. Eastwood's "Cry Macho" is a fairly undemanding but welcome addition to his varied and impressive resume. 


REVIEW:  

ANNETTE ★★★★

Stand-up shock comedian Henry (Academy Award nominee Adam Driver, "BlackKklansman") and opera star Ann (Academy Award winner Marion Cotillard, "La Vie en Rose") become a celebrity couple, marry and have a child they name Annette. Everything seems fine until Henry begins to grow restless. Ann dreams of a MeToo type situation where she is warned of Henry's true nature, but she continues and the relationship becomes rather toxic.

In a conventional film these events would take on the feel of a Hallmark TV movie, but in the hands of French director Leos Carax ("Holy Motors," 2012), who wrote the screenplay with composer brothers Ron and Russell Mael, "Annette" is a rock musical that is anything but conventional in its style. Even the appearance of baby Annette, who becomes the center of the turmoil that eventually takes place between Henry and Ann, is completely original and unexpected. I don't want to spoil the film by giving too many details, so let's just say the movie takes a lot of twists and turns. The story gets much darker than you might expect.

All of this is presented in a mix of the absurd, the tragic and dark humor. The production design and cinematography are beautiful. Add to that a score made up of songs new and old from the pop duo Sparks, the aforementioned Mael brothers. At times the film's turns may feel oppressive, as there is some violence and some of the situations take on a surreal element, but it is always fascinating. Stick with it, I say. The performances make this task rewarding, especially Driver, who seems to dare us to sympathize with a very complex character. "Annette" is one of the best, and most original, films of the year.

 REVIEW:  

CODA ★★★½ ★★★★

Aug 15, 2021

Bryan Macklowe’s review published on Letterboxd:

Ruby (Emilia Jones, Netflix's "Lock & Key") is a high school teenager who happens to be a CODA, child of deaf adults. Her family is a hard-working unit which operates within the local fish industry. She is the family's only link to the hearing world, placing a lot of responsibility onto her young shoulders. One day, Ruby decides to take a chance on signing up for the school choir. She loves to sing along to the radio on fishing shifts, so why not? 

While at first shy about singing in front of her classmates, her teacher encourages Ruby to develop her talent. Before long she is invited to take lessons with her music teacher, Mr. Villalobos (Eugenio Derbez, "How to Be a Latin Lover"), in order to study for a prestigious college audition. This creates a clash between her desire to sing and her family's reliance on her. Making matters even more complicated is that her loving but rather isolated parents (Academy Award winner Marlee Matlin, "Children of a Lesser God," and Troy Kotsur, "Wild Prairie Rose") don't really understand or, at first, want to understand, her interest in singing. They see the hearing world as filled with enemies and bullies, and would rather have Ruby stay with them selling fish. How she balances these conflicting issues is at the core of the film, in addition to navigating her own social life and developing a relationship with a fellow musician student (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, so good as the lead in "Sing Street" a few years ago).

Some of these elements reminded me a bit of the now-classic coming-of-age movie "Billy Elliot," in which an aspiring young dancer must confront his coal-mining family about his desire for a different life. "CODA," despite familiar themes of the genre, differentiates itself through this fresh perspective of a family struggling to communicate in a world that seems separated from their own lives. 

The performances are uniformly good here, with particular attention to Emilia Jones, who brings a grounded appeal to Ruby that immediately creates sympathy for her situation. Matlin and Kotsur are excellent as the parents who must slowly come to a recognition that their experience might be clouding their view of their expectations for their daughter. Also strong is Daniel Durant ("Silent Notes") as Ruby's strong-headed older brother Leo, who is also deaf and wants the family to stand up to the people who take financial advantage of them at the fishing docks.

"CODA" transcends its genre origins as a coming-of-age story to tell an engaging story about family and following your passions in a way that isn't cloying or sappy.

***NEW REVIEWS***

The Father ✮✮✮✮

Anthony (played by Hopkins) is an aging Welshman with a fierce determination to fight what is happening to him. He is experiencing a mental decline due to dementia. His daughter Anne (Olivia Coleman, who recently won the Best Actress Oscar for her role in "The Favourite") tries to help him with this struggle but becomes increasingly frustrated as the situation grows worse.

The film seeks to deepen our understanding of Anthony's confusion and paranoia by taking us into his experience through fluid camera work and editing that suggest time lapses and murky realities. It is an immersive approach that enhances our empathy for the character. 

Mr. Hopkins gives one of his strongest performances here, diving into a complex and proud man who is fighting an unwinnable battle with his mortality. It certainly belongs up there with his humanizing portrait of "Nixon" and his iconic Hannibal Lecter from "The Silence of the Lambs" in a career that has now spanned six decades.

Florian Zeller, the author of the French play this is based on, makes an impressive directorial debut. Taking a fairly simple concept and revealing the complicated realities of the dynamics of a horrible disease, he avoids making a stagy or distant film. It is rich with emotion and flows naturally in a way that maximizes audience participation. It is one of the best films of the year.

The Witches ✮✮

Dangerous business, remaking well-respected films. Some soar to new heights, like 2007's "3:10 to Yuma." Others, such as "Carrie" (2013), just fade into the background of history. 

Roald Dahl's literary classic, "The Witches," was made into a film in 1990 with direction by Nicolas Roeg ("Walkabout," "Don't Look Now"). It did poorly at the box-office but gained critical raves and a cult fan following over the years. Now comes a new version that transports the setting from modern-day (1990) England to the Alabama of 1968.

The tale remains the same: A young boy (this time played by Jahzir Kadeem Bruno) who moves in with his grandmother after the death of his parents. After an encounter with a strange woman trying to lure him with treats, his grandmother (here played by the always delightful Octavia Spencer) tells him about witches. Fearing further encounters, they decide to take residence in a hotel, which turns out to be currently serving a coven of witches gathering to plan evil doings. This sets up the main confrontation in which the boy and grandmother must attempt to stop the witch leader, known as the Grand High Witch (Anne Hathaway), from destroying the children of the world. 

I found this new version of the story to be lacking in the overall feeling of wonder and danger of the first adaptation. There seemed to be no real need to change the period setting, and not much is done with that aspect. Anne Hathaway appeared to be trying to do an impression of Anjelica Huston's interpretation of the role. Aided by decent but familiar visual effects, Hathaway is fine but never really makes the role her own. The boy hero is adequate, voiced as an older man by Chris Rock, and I did enjoy Octavia Spencer as the grandma.

Yet the whole movie felt unnecessary, never achieving a reason for being aside from retelling the story to a new generation. Many scenes, such as the one where a young boy -- expecting a chocolate treat from an old lady, is turned into a rat by the witches -- fall flat and don't pop to life as they did in the earlier film. You're better off streaming that version and let this one fade away.