BACK IN PARADISE

 

Still nursing a small case of L.A. Nose, I am back in the land of Ponce de Leon and already feeling younger, better, and… no question about it… warmer. I am not, however, feeling particularly charitable toward the collection of films I have seen of late but have yet to review. Let me start  with the smallest of a long list which begins with three documentaries: Martha, The Bibi Files and Waltzing with Brando, all three may be seen on Netflix.

OK, OK, I know, the latter is not really a documentary… but I didn’t know that for most of the time I was watching the “biographical film.”  Billy Zane, the producer and star of the project, does such a good Brando that I thought I was watching archival home movie footage of the super star, rather than an actor’s interpretation … AND I WORKED WITH BRANDO ON TWO FILMS!  Admittedly, it was almost 60 years ago, but…. one does not forget Marlon Brando (well, apparently one does). Actor Zane really had me fooled, but that said… in all candor, I cannot imagine why anyone made this film or why anyone other than folks like me would be interested in watching the thing. I could go on, but why? Only a Brando freak could possibly enjoy this movie, and I am betting there are not too many of us left.

Martha, as you may have surmised is the very same Martha Stewart of food and fashion fame. Oftentimes, an individual must die before a documentary about their life is warranted---in this instance a successful career and a prison sentence suffices. The film is pretty good and worthy of your time on Netflix provided you have any interest in documentaries or the lady herself.

The Bibi Files might be truly scandalous if one never watched MSNBC or read a newspaper. There is a lot of footage leaked from what are reportedly confidential interviews between Israeli authorities and Mr. Netanyahu… who comes off as a junior league Bob Menendez, settling as he does for cigars for himself and cases of champagne for his wife. Sort of a yawn. Personally, I honestly believe Israel’s prime minister is a much bigger crook, and guilty of a whole lot more than this film implies, but not only are the cops not asking those questions, the filmmakers themselves barely scratch the surface  of corruption. 

Nosferatu is another film about which I would advise fellow audience members to forgo. The original, a silent classic made in 1922 by director F.W. Murnau…. set a standard and had a definite look… both cinematically and in the way Count Dracula was to be portrayed. For whatever reason this latest version of the mother of all suckers (what, too crude?) tries hard to emulate that original look in an attempt, I suppose, to prove the old saw that sexiness is in the groin of the beholder. Versions of Dracula between the two Nosferatus had the Count looking a lot more interesting to the female of the species… as well as audience members. Whomever it was that came up with the line, “Don’t be afraid… only one moment of pain and then… eternal life” never saw this movie to realize just how long a “moment” can be… or how painful. If you insist, it may be viewed on Amazon Prime.

Part One of Wicked is two hours and forty minutes long…. And there is no Dorothy! Part Two will not appear anywhere locally until next fall so don’t even think about making a Barbie/Oppenheimer kind of evening at your local theatre. This movie gives “over the top” new meaning. It is very overblown, very gay, and very green. The yellow brick road is a long and winding thing, but once we actually arrive at the Emerald City the pace begins to pick up. The fact that it takes the better part of two hours to get there is… you should excuse the expression… a Shanda… not only for the neighbors, but for anyone watching.

I’m Still Here is a true story out of the Brazil of over a half century ago with the very real feeling of don’t be surprised if it happens here. The politics of a police state in action and its impact on a loving and loveable family is truly poignant and, understandably, it is winning a plethora of awards internationally. Fernanda Torres took the Golden Globe for Best Actress and is nominated for an Oscar for her role in the film. The movie is too long at two hours and 18 minutes but not so long as to be off-putting. In these days where authoritarians seem to be cropping up all over the planet, a movie with this kind of content should be required viewing. See it on Netflix.

The hot motion picture of the year is about capitalism, antisemitism, addiction,  immigration, fidelity, art and architecture, as well as having at its core, strong sexual themes. The Brutalist is on everyone’s list of favorites to win multiple Academy Awards. Maybe. I would readily agree that it is an important film but would quickly add that it is also a most uneven one. There were times where I found the filmmaking itself to be downright klutzy…. plenty of moments of taking time (sometimes too much time) to make a point and others, where important moments are practically thrown away. Don’t get me wrong. It’s a good movie, but not (as advertised) a great one.

Finally…. I needed a break and Turner Classic Movies provided me one with the original A Star is Born starring Fredric March and Janet Gaynor. Like most of you, I had seen versions two, three, and four (Judy Garland/James Mason… Barbra Streisand/Kris Kristofferson…Lady Gaga/Bradley Cooper) but I had never seen the Selznick Production that started it all. Janet Gaynor was nearing the end of her career when the movie was made nearly 90 years ago… by then really a bit long in the tooth to play this role… but Mr. March was fabulous and so is this movie. By far the best of all the Star is Born idiom… and, in fact, the best of all that are mentioned in today’s Notes From a Warm Island.

 

Barney Rosenzweig