Cinema Del Peppel

Judy

Year: 2019
Country: UK/USA
Director: Rupert Goold
Starring: Renée Zellweger, Jessie Buckley, Finn Wittrock

Something about a biopic that comes out during Oscar season is a complete turn-off for me: lead actor/actress undergoes dramatic change for a role in a campaign for awards season to promote a film that would otherwise not do as well at the box office. So, I really wasn’t interested in seeing this movie: pretty pretentious of me. What I did find after pressing play, was actually one of the best films of 2019 and a performance by Renée Zellweger that confirms her as one of the giants of her craft. The film focuses on the final year of Judy Garland’s life, where in 1968 she plays a string of sold-out shows in London while struggling with alcohol and drug addiction. By choosing to create a biopic that centers on such a specific time in Garland’s life, the standard and predictable ups and downs we usually find in a biopic get thrown out the window and make way for immense creativity: the film’s dark color palette gets contrasted when flashbacks present us a young Garland on the set of The Wizard of Oz – in full bright colors, as her stardom is fabricated by producer and MGM co-founder Louie B. Mayer, who already refuses to let her eat, has her fed pills, and creates a girl next door look for Garland that we will always associate her with – which is unfortunately already the beginning of her personal downfall (a commanding, imposing Richard Cordery in the role of Mayer who we should all be filing a petition for a retroactive Best Supporting Actor win). The musical performances are astounding: Zellweger spent a year training vocals for this role and her voice is as sublime as her performance. It’s a tragic story, but filled with so much beauty and compassion. You feel like you’re following Garland along for the ride, rooting for her all the way although you already know what the conclusion will be. Very close to a perfect film; in my Top 5 of 2019.

Hustlers

Year: 2019
Country: USA
Director: Lorene Scafaria
Starring: Constance Wu, Jennifer Lopez, Julia Stiles

The true story of a group of strippers in New York City who, after the financial crash of 2008 find a way to scheme their ways in their Wall Street clients’ wallets is an unapologetic morally ambiguous tale that by no means attempts at being a cautionary one. In that respect, praise be given to this film. I won’t spoil more about the story though. A lot has been said and written about this movie and there are points to clear up: despite some funny moments, this is not a comedy. Point number two: Jennifer Lopez is as good as everyone says she is here, but in my mind, it’s Constance Wu, in the starring role who deserves the Oscar nod: her portrayal of the girl who turned to stripping to support her grandmother’s debts and found a whole underworld of wealth waiting for her is powerful, nuanced and touching. The film is hugely entertaining and only starts to fail a bit near the end, where conflict between Wu and Lopez occurs: the film can’t decide what tone it wants, sometimes steering in awkward Goodfellas-like turn, and this results in an unconvincing last half hour (it is “inspired” by true events, after all – so please watch this with a grain of salt). Well worth your time, despite its slight flaws.

Dolemite Is My Name

Year: 2019
Country: USA
Director: Craig Brewer
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Craig Robinson

…And with this we remember why we loved Eddie Murphy so dearly, and with this we are grateful that he is back. The true story of Rudy Ray Moore, a struggling comedian/musician who defied all odds and ended up making the now-classic 70’s Blaxploitation film “Dolemite” entirely on his own and with mostly his friends as the film crew. The movie’s got soul, style to spare, comedy, plenty of heart and is just so much fun. Eddie Murphy was robbed of an Oscar nomination for this one, I can say that for sure. Wesley Snipes is back too, playing “Dolemite” director D’Urville Martin – he absolutely kills it, as the director who is totally self-absorbed, constantly having a drink and generally apprehensive of the project, but he’s also hilarious and it’s a welcome mini-comeback from Snipes: you didn’t realize how much you actually missed him! The script is crisp and chock-full of great ideas, the 70’s New York setting is so well-done that you feel you’re there, and that soul/funk soundtrack (with some songs actually performed by Murphy, Craig Robinson and Da’Vine Joy Randolph) is perfection. Special high-five to Da’Vine Joy Randolph, who, as Rudy Ray Moore’s unlikely co-star in Dolemite commands the screen. It’s a movie that won’t only put a smile on your face: with Rudy Ray Moore’s incredible story of self-belief and determination, it’s a film that can actually inspire.

The Laundromat

Year: 2019
Country: USA
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Starring: Meryl Streep, Gary Oldman, Antonio Banderas

What a damn shame. A film about the leaked Panama Papers scandal could have been suspenseful, intelligent, deep and even educational. Instead Steven Soderbergh decides to direct it like he’s making another Ocean’s 11, with supreme self-indulgence and basically no shits given for anything but “look at me!” moments. And the script is so sidetracked by completely meaningless subplots that you spend more time learning about some of these peoples’ family dramas than what actually happened at all. The actors play their roles perfectly, can’t fault them there. The problem is the material is such a mess and the direction is so misguided that by the end of the movie, even as it attempts to redeem itself in the last 10 minutes, you just don’t care.

I Racconti Di Canterbury (The Canterbury Tales)

Year: 1972
Country: Italy
Director: Pier Paolo Pasolini
Starring: Hugh Griffith, Laura Betti, Ninetto Davoli

Pasolini’s 2nd film in his Trilogy of Life (his first was The Decameron, reviewed here) was disappointing. I feel like I’m almost spitting on cinematic holy ground here by saying this, but it really is underwhelming and forgettable (save the last sequence as it takes us to Hell). This adaptation of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales is unfunny (fart jokes and all), and despite its controversial history (banned in several countries at the time of release due to the graphic nature of some scenes), kinda boring. I’ll say unless you really want to see the whole Trilogy of Life, skip this.

G.I. Blues

Year: 1960
Country: USA
Director: Norman Taurog
Starring: Elvis Presley, Juliet Prowse, Robert Ivers

Elvis’ 5th movie, “Produced with the full cooperation of the U.S. Army and the Department of Defense” (what an awesome marketing trick) was also his first since his army discharge, and audiences were hungry – this and his next film, Flaming Star, were released just one month apart. A light romantic comedy set in Germany (where Elvis was actually stationed during his Army time) about a group of GIs that carry a bet that one of them will be able to spend a night alone with Lili, an “unattainable” nightclub dancer. Unfortunately, the GI who took the bet gets stationed elsewhere, and guess who steps up to replace him? The king, baby, the king. This is actually the most fun I’ve had watching an Elvis film so far. For one, it isn’t the same rags to riches story we’ve seen in last films (Loving You and Jailhouse Rock). Elvis is a cool GI from the beginning, and he hopes that by winning this bet he can open his own nightclub when he’s back in the USA. Of course, he falls in love with her and the movie is as predictable as you’re thinking. But! It’s got some really funny moments, a better than average script, and in nightclub dancer Lili, Juliet Prowse shows some natural charm and talent. And Elvis is as endearing as always. While Jailhouse Rock was, to me, the best one so far (and King Creole certainly the most serious – with Elvis pulling a James Dean for the role, basically), G.I. Blues is out of these 5 the most entertaining.

I’m reviewing all Elvis Presley movies and watching them in chronological order. Here are the reviews so far:

The Favourite

Year: 2018
Country: Ireland/UK/USA
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Starring: Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz

You think of most British period pieces as these deep and serious (and quite boring at times) reflections on society, on the soul, on love, blah blah blah. This movie shoots that preconceived notions to flame. A film about a weak, often bedridden queen who maintains a deep friendship with her servant – when that servant’s cousin shows up to work as a maid, that’s when a power play comes in effect between the two. Featuring unusual and eccentric choices by the director in its soundtrack, cinematography (often employing a fisheye lense to maximize the look of the size of the castle), a very busy and fast moving camera and, likely inspired by Stanley Kubrick’s own period piece Barry Lyndon, shot entirely in natural light. The power play between Stone and Weisz is so incredibly funny – it’s rather obscene and foul mouthed and completely augmented by Olivia Colman’s delicious performance as the queen. The next thing you know, 2 hours went by.

Il Decameron (The Decameron)

Year: 1971
Country: Italy
Director: Pier Paolo Pasolini
Starring: Franco Citti, Ninetto Davoli, Jovan Jovanovic

Pasolini’s comedic middle finger to religion and thumbs up to freedom and sexuality was adapted from Boccaccio’s novel of the same name, and consists of nine stories all taking place in the middle ages, dealing with the aforementioned topics. It’s light, and I had trouble believing I was watching Pasolini: this movie made me realize that I watched Salò when I was way too young and put off the rest of Pasolini’s work as a result. The first film in Pasolini’s Trilogy of Life, stay tuned for reviews of The Canterbury Tales and Arabian Nights within the next few weeks. This was a fun movie, but I’m not sure it would have had the same impact were it not for Pasolini’s own legacy and tragic story.

One More Time With Feeling

Year: 2016
Country: UK
Director: Andrew Dominik
Starring: Nick Cave, Warren Ellis

When Nick Cave’s son Arthur died after a tragic accident, Nick Cave commissioned the making of a documentary to show him pursuing the making of his excellent album, Skeleton Tree. It was shot in 10 days and shows Cave at his most vulnerable. The documentary, it is said, was a way to avoid a media blast of questions about the tragedy, and, I suppose, allowed him to control the situation. Shot in black and white, the film doesn’t tell a story as much as it paints a picture of an artist at a fragile point in his life. It isn’t easy to watch and it isn’t meant to be. The viewer may feel as frustrated or uneasy as Cave appears to be throughout, but it’s undeniably a great film and deserves to be applauded for the risks it took and for its rather experimental nature: at times almost a concert film, with Cave and The Bad Seeds performing live what winds up on the album, at times a Q&A between Cave and the director and at times…well, actually, despite it all, it almost always actually just feels like one big release. One where no questions are really answered and no meaning is really taken away – one must simply observe without judgment, almost detached in order to better appreciate it. It isn’t meant to be sentimental, but it’s always fascinating and honest and will certainly make you listen to Skeleton Tree differently. It’s unique, but it doesn’t seem like it’s trying too hard to be – much like Cave’s music, it just is. (Note: shot in 3D, but I unfortunately only got to see the 2D version)

La Vampire Nue (The Nude Vampire)

Year: 1970
Country: France
Director: Jean Rollin
Starring: Caroline Cartier, Olivier Rollin, Maurice Lemaître

My fourth Jean Rollin film review, and finally it clicks. Finally, I get it. I couldn’t understand why I kept on going with some kind of underwhelmed fascination, but now I do: I adore Jean Rollin. Probably this is the movie you should start with. The ultimate one of his 4 “Vampire” movies, which for some reason I didn’t watch in chronological order (then again, they have nothing to do with each other). This is where his choice in set design, costumes, actors/acting, directing, writing all come to one and you realize that everything is deliberate (okay, maybe not losing the script two days in to your first feature like he did with The Rape Of The Vampire, but that’s a classic case of “shit happens”). I saw an interview with him where he states that his love of surrealism is what draws him to his own style and that the choosing of non-professional actors allows him to capture faces and emotions that just look odd and unique, and that’s what he prefers. It all comes together. Now I feel like I need to rewatch everything again (although, I have 2 more of his films lined-up which I’ve never seen). Do watch this movie: it’s some kind of vampire movie that may or may not be sci-fi (I won’t tell!), and it’s got style to spare. I loved it, and it makes me look at the three movies of his I’ve seen in the last month with a different eye. Keep Rollin, Rollin, Rollin (see what I did there?).

Check out the other Jean Rollin Film reviews here: