This week: seven new movie recommendations for the Holiday weekend. But first, two remembrances.
REMEMBRANCES
The novels of author John le Carré made for unforgettable cinema. Le Carré’s complicated and conflicted Cold Warriors battled though what he revealed to be corrupting bureaucratic game. His work was the most sublime literature, and it elevated the spy movie genre.
The VERY best screen adaptations of le Carré’s work are the BBC miniseries Tinker, Tailor Soldier, Spy (1979) and Smiley’s People (1982) with Alec Guinness.
Ann Reinking, the great Broadway star, most famous for originating the character Roxy in Chicago, has died. Her greatest work came from her artistic partnership with Bob Fosse, with whom she lived for six years.
Stage performances are temporal and film performances can be everlasting. Reinking’s art is forever preserved in one indelible film performance, essentially playing herself in Fosse’s All That Jazz. I strongly recommend Sheila O’Malley’s remembrance.
ON VIDEO
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is a searing revelation of the impacts of racism, with charged performances by Chadwick Boseman and Viola Davis. It’s streaming on Netflix.
David Fincher’s Mank is a black-and-white beauty of a film, a portrait of troubled talent in Classic Hollywood. Amanda Seyfried is great as Marion Davies.
And some more recent films:
- One Night in Miami: four icons share one pivotal moment. Amazon.
- My Psychedelic Love Story: Errol Morris and the unreliable narrator. HBO.
- Martin Eden: Jack London in an art film (link goes live soon). Laemmle.
- The Mystery of D. B. Cooper: the hijacking that keeps on giving. HBO.
- Belushi: more texture to the story that you already know. Showtime.
- The Prom: airy confection. Netflix.
Don’t forget that some of my Best Movies of 2020 – So Far, are already available (and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Mank and The Father are going on the list). I haven’t yet seen Nomadland, Mayor or The Sound of Metal.
- Driveways: I can’t think of a more authentic movie about intergenerational relationships than this charming, character-driven indie. The more I think about Driveways, the more I admire it. It also features the final performance – so genuine and subtle – by Brian Dennehy. Driveways is available to stream on all the major platforms.
- The Whistlers: In this absorbing crime thriller, a shady cop and a mysterious woman are walking a tightrope of treachery. The Whistlers was a hit at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, but COVID-19 impaired its 2020 theatrical release in the US. (Amazon, Vudu, YouTube, Google Play.)
- The Truth: Writer-director Hirozaku Koreeda’s latest wry and authentic exploration of human behavior is a showcase for Catherine Deneuve and Juliette Binoche. Hirokeeda, such an insightful observer of behavior, cuts to the core of his characters’ profound humanity. (Amazon, Vudu, YouTube, Google Play.)
ON TV
On the always anti-climactic December 26, Turner Classic Movies gives us two ways to go. First, there’s Ben-Hur, with the thrilling chariot race around that phenomenal set – one of the greatest sets in movie history – before CGI, they actually used to build them. Its star Charlton Heston was advised by the stunt supervisor, “Don’t worry, Chuck. Just stay in the chariot and I’ll make sure you win the race.“
And then there’s Casablanca, the most perfect film ever made – as romantic, as funny and as emotionally powerful today as in 1943.
