A Reel Opinion: The Best & Worst Films of 2019, Part 2

2019 will go down in the history books as the year Disney dominated the box office. The house that Walt built seemed to be the only studio that could make solid crowd pleasers that families could enjoy, please critics, and get people into the theatre seats consistently. Disney made eight of the top 10 earners of the year; an astounding feat…with six of their releases all earning a billion dollars each. Unprecedented and most impressive. 

The rival studios rushed to spit out clones of what works for Disney, mostly at the sacrifice of quality…but there were some successes outside of the Mouse House. Clint Eastwood made his best film in years with RICHARD JEWELL, and James Mangold fired on all cylinders with FORD V. FERRARI. It was a good year for horror, with Jordan Peele’s US and Ari Aster’s MIDSOMMAR shocking audiences. Musical legends were paid tribute in two very different films, with YESTERDAYS showing the impact The Beatles had on the world, and BLINDED BY THE LIGHT exploring how the tunes of Bruce Springsteen changed the life of one man. And the FAST & FURIOUS franchise showed no signs of slowing down with a healthy box office.

Box office dollars are fun to discuss, but it all comes down to what we see on the screen. Reel Speak’s Part 1 of the Best and Worst of 2019 re-capped the failures (HERE), and Part 2 will now stack and rank the successes. 

10. JOKER

Todd Phillips’ film about the origins of the famed Batman villain may have been derivative of some classic films that focused on outsiders, but that does not diminish its impact. Powered by an astonishing performance by Joaquin Phoenix, JOKER toes the line between a spiritual journey and a descent into madness which ignited discussions about mental illness. Winner of the famed Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, an unexpected billion dollars at the box office, and a cultural smash that has everyone talking…not to mention mimicking his now famous dance down a stairway.

9. PARASITE

South Korean director Bong Joon-ho’s impactful suspense drama about class division hits hard and resonates deeply. Its suspenseful scenes are some of the best we’ve ever seen in cinema, its messages are clear and meaningful, and is full of surprises with an un-ending, un-nerving atmosphere. 

8. KNIVES OUT

Rian Johnson re-invents the whodunit genre. Told through different perspectives of family members who are all suspects in the death of their father, Johnson takes us through many twists and turns and keeps us all guessing right up to the end. The ensemble cast is excellent, especially Ana de Armas, who also gets the privilege of being in the one of the best closing shots of the year. 

7. LITTLE WOMEN

The umpteenth version of the famed book is given a fresh angle that is welcoming and intriguing. By re-structuring the story in a non-linear style, director Greta Gerwig makes LITTLE WOMEN, an old tale done many, many times, interesting and gripping. It’s a brave and bold move that could have been a disaster if not for some excellent editing. The stellar cast of Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen, and Laura Dern make it soar from start to finish. 

6. STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER

The 9^th and final episode of the Skywalker family saga, which began way back in 1977, brings back an old foe to be faced down by new heroes. Director J.J. Abrams puts the petal to the metal in this episode, which races from planet to planet and battle to battle in an exhilarating ride…which still finds time to reveal many secrets and let its excellent cast of Daisy Ridley, Oscar Isaac, and John Boyega sizzle on the screen. The finale is a proper wrap to the series, bringing us back to the beginning with an emotional landing. And most of all, it reminded us of what STAR WARS is really supposed to be: fun. 

5. THE IRISHMAN

Martin Scorsese returns to the genre that he made famous for more than one generation; real-life gangsters. This time he tells the true story of hitman Frank Sheeran, who may or may not have whacked union-man Jimmy Hoffa. Scorsese and his old friends Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci, and Al Pacino have crafted a gangster flick for an older generation; requiring seasoned patience and understanding. A hulk of a film that covers a large slice of American history and the little-men who rebelled against the working society of the time. Essential viewing for fans of true crime stories. 

4. THE LIGHTHOUSE

Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe play lighthouse keepers whose stay lasts longer than it is supposed to…which tests their resources and their sanity. Filmed in glorious black-and-white and edited in a way that gets under our skin and stays there, director Robert Eggers gives us a thriller that is impossible to turn away from, and the question of what was real and what wasn’t will have audiences debating for years. Shocking and stunning in every way. 

3. ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD

Quentin Tarantino’s fairy tale, which takes place in his beloved Hollywood of old, gives the late actress Sharon Tate the happy ending she deserves and a fresh identity for a new generation; a living breathing person full of talent as opposed to just a footnote in the history of a mass murderer. Along with that, it takes a close look at fame and what its stars do when that fame begins to fade. The inspired cast of Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, and Margot Robbie help to make this one of the most enjoyable stories of 2019. 

2. AVENGERS: ENDGAME

The film that became the all-time box office champion while sending audiences out the door an emotional wreck. Marvel’s epic roller-coaster ride served as a wrap to the Infinity Saga that they started back in 2008, which covered over 20 films and thousands of characters…all of which are paid tribute in this monster of a film. It had everyone reaching for the tissues, while still rousing people out of their seats with some of the best crowd-pleasing, fist-pumping, whoop-and-holler-worthy moments we’ve ever seen in blockbuster filmmaking. Beloved comic characters, who are now elevated even higher in pop culture, are given a final farewell and proper closure that no one can forget. This is the very definition of epic. 

1. 1917

Also epic is Sam Mendes’ WWI film about two soldiers on an impossible mission. Shot and cut to look like one continuous take, 1917 is a visual miracle; dropping audiences right into the middle of the action and keeping us there. It has a perfect balance of large-scale war and intimacy with its characters, and the amount of suspense is breathtaking. Mendes based the film on stories that his grandfather had told him, which makes this a labor of love for him and it shows…as it works as a great war film and a tribute to the men who fought and died. Emotional, brutal, and beautiful…1917 has the perfect balance of the most important elements in filmmaking. As all great films should.  

REEL SPEAK'S BEST FILMS OF 2019

1. 1917
2. AVENGERS: ENDGAME
3. ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD
4. THE LIGHTHOUSE
5. THE IRISHMAN
6. STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER
7. LITTLE WOMEN
8. KNIVES OUT
9. PARASITE
10. JOKER

A Reel Opinion: The Best & Worst Films of 2019, Part 1

Filmmaking is a hard job. With so many hands in the soup it’s a miracle any film makes it to the big screen, and thousands of people work their best (we hope) to make that miracle happen. Careers and livelihoods depend on that work, and any effort on the big screen deserves credit. But those efforts can still range from good, glorious, and bad…and this first part of Reel Speak’s annual Best & Worst blog will take a look at the worst of 2019; the movies that should have been better than what we got. 

As with every year, the worst of 2019 was saying goodbye to celebrated actresses, actors, and filmmakers. In this past year we said farewell and adieu to Albert Finney, Michael J. Pollard, Rutger Hauer, Doris Day, Sid Haig, Danny Aiello, John Witherspoon, Rip Torn, Tim Conway, Peter Mayhew, Sue Lyon, Robert Forster, Freddie Jones, Jan Michael Vincent, Carol Channing, Diahann Carroll, and director John Singleton. 

Back on the screen, the domestic box office was down 4% from the previous year, but still finished as the second biggest in history (figure that one out). Disney seemed to be the only studio capable of making a blockbuster that worked with critics, audiences, and ticket sales, with the house that Walt built owning eight (!) of the top 10 earners. But before we start screaming “monopoly” at Disney, it’s fair to point out that competing studios such as Sony, Fox, and Warner Bros. had more than one chance to cut into that top 10, and they blew it with their half-ass movies. 

And speaking of half-ass movies, here we go with the Worst Films of 2019…

10. TOY STORY 4

This may come as a shock, as Reel Speak gave this a recommendation back in June, but the longer this Blogger thinks about the way Pixar ended things with Woody and Buzz and their beloved gang, the worse it gets. Back in 2010, the most-excellent TOY STORY 3 ended things perfectly for the gang of toys and their owner Andy, so another sequel really needed to justify its existence. Their answer was to break up the gang for good, and send our hero Woody into the land of lost toys. This was a move that went against everything our good sheriff had been believing in for years, and exactly what Andy didn’t want to happen to the toys he loved. It’s a shame as the film was a delight before it ended stupidly. Long-time Pixar fans would be better off ending their marathons at TOY STORY 3. 

9. X-MEN: DARK PHOENIX

Fox’s final film before losing control of the once famed X-MEN franchise went out with a whimper. The film went through a lot of turmoil behind the scenes, including late re-shoots and it showed. Character drama was thin, the action sequences were boring (a sin for a superhero movie), and the editing was a chop-job…making it obvious that most of the cast was not on the set at the same time. One big ball of blah. 

8. GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS

The newest film in the “rejuvenated” GODZILLA franchise had one of the laziest screenplays of the year, which had scene after scene of one single character being the only person who knew how to solve a crisis. It was lazy and uninspired, and basically sank what was promised to be a return to form for GODZILLA. The film was overloaded with too many characters, and the battles between the monsters once again took place in the dark; cheating audiences of seeing what they came for. 

7. CHILD’S PLAY

This reboot of the 30-year-old slasher-doll series had some neat ideas on how to update Chucky for this new, technology-heavy era, but it all came down to one problem: it wasn’t scary. At all. Not one bit. And for a horror movie, that is a serious problem and the only problem. 

6. HELLBOY

Audiences rejected this reboot of the popular comic character mostly on principle; as it was ignoring and wiping out the two beloved films by Guillermo del Toro (2004 and 2008). Those who stayed home were the smart ones, as the ones who did show up were witness to an over-complicated plot with a redundant structure of talk-talk-talk and fight-fight-fight. Many scenes are pointless, characters act without explanation, and the things that do get explained are contradicted within minutes. A complete unholy mess. 

5. GEMINI MAN

Oscar winning director Ang Lee helmed this oddball with a CGI version of Will Smith, which only looked good when the thing was in a dark room. Once the lights were on, ugh. Visual effects aside, this film was sunk by a lazy script; every crisis that the characters found themselves in was resolved by a phone call. No stakes, no tension, no drama…no nothing. 

4. MEN IN BLACK: INTERNATIONAL

Speaking of Will Smith, the popular actor was wise to steer clear of this soft reboot of the alien-battling franchise that he started over 20 years ago. Set in the same continuity of the Smith-verse, this MIB adventure suffered from an undefined script; it lacked a stepping-off point where the story actually began, and it meandered from scene to scene looking for something to do. The jokes landed with a thud, the action sequences dull, CGI terrible, a late twist that makes no sense, and despite being an extended sequel…contradicts what was established in the first film. 

3. TERMINATOR: DARK FATE

A lot of promises were made going into this much-hyped TERMINATOR sequel, which had series creator James Cameron returning as a producer. They told us it would right the ship (it didn’t), and as a direct sequel to TERMINATOR 2 (1991) and ignoring all the other sequels, that the franchise would take a new direction (it didn’t). Instead, it wound up in the same place the third film finished at. On its own, DARK FATE had lousy CGI, and despite wanting to establish new continuity, borrows (steals) elements from every single TERMINATOR film ever made. Lazy, un-inspired, and very stupid. This and the new Rambo film, LAST BLOOD, are prime examples of 30-year-old franchises that just need to end. 

2. CATS

The most bizarre, nightmare-inducing film of the year if not the decade. Celebrated director Tom Hooper helmed this adaptation of the loved-and-hated Broadway play which did not resemble a movie at all. It had no story structure whatsoever and merely went from song to song going nowhere. The CGI was not only bad but grotesque (dancing cockroaches with children’s faces, for starters), and the design of the cats was inconsistent and made no sense. A loaded litter box doesn’t stink as much as this movie. 

1. THE KITCHEN

Actress Melissa McCarthy is carving a career very similar to Adam Sandler; for every good movie she makes (BRIDESMAIDS, ST. VINCENT), she follows it up with a giant turd (GHOSTBUSTERS, HAPPYTIME MURDERS)…and now we can add THE KITCHEN to that list. Based on the Vertigo comic book series, the half-ass script jumps from one place to another too quickly, and is overloaded with F-bombs trying to sound tough. Characters are inconsistent as they say one thing and do another, and they are developed as lousy people with little context so it is impossible to care about them. Editing is choppy, and characters treat the audience like idiots by blurting out what they’re about to do every five seconds. A late twist is seen coming a mile away, and the ending is dumber than the whole of the movie. No movie summed up the laziness and dysfunction of 2019’s Worst than THE KITCHEN. 

REEL SPEAK'S WORST FILMS OF 2019

1. THE KITCHEN
2. CATS
3. TERMINATOR: DARK FATE
4. MEN IN BLACK: INTERNATIONAL 
5. GEMINI MAN
6. HELLBOY
7. CHILD'S PLAY
8. GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS
9. X-MEN: DARK PHOENIX
10. TOY STORY 4

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Read Reel Speak's Best of 2019 HERE 

A Reel Opinion: Oscar Nominations - The Good, The Bad, & The Glorious

Nominations for the 92^nd Academy Awards were announced today, with the results ranging from Good, Bad, and Glorious. Here’s how it all landed…

THE GOOD

-The announcements were made at the newly constructed and beautiful David Geffen Theatre at the not-yet-opened Academy Museum. Backed by a classic looking setting, the nominees were read very well by actor John Cho and producer Issa Rae. Both hosts were excellent, and their script showed a bit of voting transparency as it explained the various branches of the Academy and how it all works. 

-The leader of the pack is JOKER with 11 total nominations, becoming only the second comic-book adaptation nominated for Best Picture. JOKER is followed by THE IRISHMAN, ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD, and 1917 with 10 nominations. 

-Sign of the times: With 24 total nominations, Netflix earned more than any other studio; surpassing Sony (20), Disney (16), and Warner Bros. (12). 

-No Snubs for Old Men: Tom Hanks, for his performance in A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NIEGHBORHOOD, was nominated for Best Actor, which is his first nomination in nearly two decades and he does it at age 63. Also nominated in this category are Al Pacino at 79 and Joe Pesci at 76 for THE IRISHMAN, Anthony Hopkins at 82 for THE TWO POPES, and Brad Pitt at 56 for ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD.

THE BAD

-Diversity in Hollywood once again an issue, with only one person of color, Cynthia Erivo for HARRIET, nominated for acting. This isn’t an Academy issue as much as it is an industry-wide problem; the choices just weren’t there. 

-One choice that was there was Lupita Nyong’o for her outstanding performance in US. Horror movies never get their due. 

-No directing nomination for Greta Gerwig and her newest version of LITTLE WOMEN. Her competition was tough as she went up against guys like Scorsese, Tarantino, and Mendes…but the truth is it is not easy for a remake to get recognized. If A STAR IS BORN (2018) can get snubbed…anything can. The Academy should know that a great movie can be found anywhere. Remakes and horror films are often overlooked. 

-No editing nomination for ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD or 1917, and no nomination for composer Alan Silvestri for AVENGERS: ENDGAME. 

-Acting snubs: Dean-Charles Chapman and/or George MacKay for 1917, and Robert DeNiro for THE IRISHMAN. 

THE GLORIOUS

-Bong Joon Ho and his most-excellent PARASITE became the first South Korean film to be nominated in the newly named category of Best International Feature (formerly Best Foreign Language Film). PARASITE also earned nods for Director and Best Picture. 

-Rian Johnson properly getting nominated for his screenplay for KNIVES OUT. 

-No nominations for UNCUT GEMS and its lead actor Adam Sandler. Sorry, but that film was about nothing but an asshole doing asshole things with no context. Proper snub. 

-John Williams earning his 52^nd career Oscar nomination for STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER.

-Acting nominations for Scarlett Johannsson and Adam Driver for their performances in MARRIAGE STORY. Well-deserved. Scarlett’s nod is her first…and she got a second one too for JOJO RABBIT. 

-Roger Deakins earned his 15^th career nomination for Best Cinematography, for his work in 1917.  

-The Best Picture category is stacked, with the favorites coming from celebrated directors Martin Scorsese (THE IRISHMAN), Quentin Tarantino (ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD), Sam Mendes (1917), and relative newcomer Todd Phillips (JOKER). The nominations are spread out nicely and any one of these films could take home the big prize. The right films are in the hunt, and that’s what matters the most. 

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The 92^nd Oscars will be held on February 9^th. 

A Reel Review: 1917

For various reasons, the First World War has not been given as much cinema-time as the Second World War. Decade after decade, celebrated filmmakers with names like Spielberg, Nolan, Tarantino, and Ford have brought WWII to us in many forms that have cemented a place in our culture and hearts. Today, we can add director Sam Mendes and his towering drama 1917 to that list. 

France, Spring of 1917. The height of WWI. Two British soldiers; Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman), and Schofield (George MacKay), are given a special mission by General Erinmore (Colin Firth)…to cross the enemy lines and deliver orders that will prevent a Battalion from walking into a trap. 

Taking place over two days across a scorched-earth battlefield littered with dead soldiers and animals, rats, bottomless craters, booby traps, bombed-out villages and towns and the occasional German soldier, 1917 follows Blake and Schofield as they make their way through these terrors to reach the Second Battalion, who are charged for an attack thinking that they have the German army on the run. The desperation is felt right away; the situation is dire for the British army, and if the Second Battalion charges, they lose over 1600 men…which includes Blake’s older brother who is a lieutenant ready to help lead the charge. 

1917 is episodic in a way, as the two men encounter peril after peril which includes (but not limited to), an abandoned German underground bunker and farm. Along the way they encounter their own army and enemies, and while help is scarce…the threats loom large. Around the half-way point, an event happens that makes the desperation of their mission even more important, and the film finds an emotionally-charged angle which latches onto the humanity of it all. There is a spirituality around it, as we go from location to location, our soldiers are born again on their way to another stage of their journey. 

Director Sam Mendes, along with legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins, have filmed a technical masterpiece. It is filmed and edited to look like one long continuous take with no cutaways. The camera stalks our two soldiers from the opening shot to the closing, and it sustains a perfect balance of intimacy with the characters and the large sense of scale. The audience is dropped right into the middle of the battlefields and the sequences are breathtaking. Tension is mounted high, and the ugliness of their surroundings are realistic as they come. Thomas Newman’s score is magnificent. 

Acting is superb as our two leads go through some serious emotion and physical work. Dean-Charles Chapman and George MaKay are perfectly matched; two young men who are barely old enough to shave given the mission of impossible odds and stakes. Their personalities are fleshed out nicely; with Blake being a storyteller and Schofield not truly believing in their mission. The rest of the cast is a string of cameos as characters come and go; held down nicely by Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch, Mark Strong, and Richard Madden. 

Nothing in war is ever easy, and even when the film makes its way to the Second Battalion, the clock is nearly done ticking and the commanding officer is moments away from going into the fray. By this point the emotion and desperation is truly felt, which is capped off by a quiet moment full of heart. Sam Mendes based the film in part on stories told to him by his grandfather, and the love he shows for the men who fought in WWI can be seen and felt on the screen. 1917 stands as a great war story; executed by a visual miracle and a healthy dose of humanity. The First World War has finally been given its cinematic monument. 

BOTTOM LINE: See it 

A Reel Opinion: The Top 10 Best Films of The Nineties

2019 is over, which means it has now been 20 years since we saw the end of The Nineties. With two decades of hindsight between now and the era of 1990-1999, the time is right to reflect and rank the Best Films of that decade. 

The Nineties were a period of transition. Where the films of The Eighties seemed to be influenced by what was going on in culture, The Nineties went the other way and returned to the traditional values of story, acting, and theme. This return saw Clint Eastwood go back to the Old West and take home Oscars, and enabled Ron Howard to send men to the Moon and back. Sending those men to the Moon on-screen took some old-school practical effects, but things were changing as a new tool called CGI was evolving. This new tool saw Steven Spielberg bring dinosaurs to life, and helped James Cameron build the ship of dreams on his way to the Oscars and the title of box office king; a title he would hold for over 20 years. The decade would see the rise of the Coen Brothers as premier filmmakers, as well as the debuts of today’s celebrated directors such as Quentin Tarantino, Wes Anderson, David Fincher, and Paul Thomas Anderson…along with the founding of famed studios Dreamworks and Pixar. For most of this decade, STAR WARS was cinematically dormant, superheroes were rare, and the word “streaming” meant going to the bathroom. But the seeds planted during these years would change that. 

The Nineties had a lot going on, and here’s how its Top 10 Best Films stack up…

10. TOY STORY (1995)

When John Lasseter was laughed out of Disney for suggesting that computers be used to animate films in place of hand-drawn techniques, he swore his revenge. Well, maybe he didn’t, but he did prove his point when he founded Pixar, with TOY STORY as the first feature. With a commitment to classical storytelling and character-building, TOY STORY set a new quality standard for animated movies, made characters Woody and Buzz instant icons, and changed the animation business forever. 

9. SCHINDLERS LIST (1993)

No one in history had a year like Steven Spielberg did in 1993. After wowing audiences with his trademark whimsy with dinosaurs in JURASSIC PARK, he suddenly went serious to deliver a WWII drama focused on the Holocaust. Filmed in glorious black-and-white with occasional splashes of color, SCHINDLERS LIST is one of those films that is so powerful that it can only be experienced once every decade. Nominated for 12 Oscars and winning seven, including Best Picture and Director for Spielberg, this is the definitive film about one of the darkest periods in world history. 

8. SE7EN (1995)

David Fincher’s crime thriller about two detectives, each on polar opposites of life, who are chasing down a serial killer who is using the seven deadly sins as a motif…absolutely melted the brains of audiences in 1995. One-half a police procedural and one-half horror film, SE7EN works thanks to a focus on character, an endless string of surprises, a wonderful mounting sense of unease, and an ending that had audiences staggering out of the theatre.  

7. BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (1991)

The Nineties were a period of renaissance for Disney, who returned to producing critical and commercial hits such as THE LION KING (1994), ALADDIN (1992), and POCAHONTAS (1995)…to name a few. Something from this beloved period had to be chosen, and BEAST gets the nod based on its accomplishments alone. It made history by winning the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture-Musical or Comedy; the first animated film to do so. It then made further history by becoming the first animated film to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. An instant classic, endlessly re-watchable, and perfect in every way. 

6. SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1998)

Tom Hanks was the guy in The Nineties, with back-to-back Oscar wins for PHILADELPHIA (1993), and FORREST GUMP (1994)…and then lent his voice to Woody the toy cowboy; a role he’d be known for throughout the rest of his career. But his most complete film was Spielberg’s next trip into WWII, this time storming the beaches of Normandy in this epic. Hanks plays a company commander leading an impossible mission to find one man and bring him home, and the simple storyline offered the humanity and heart in the wide scale of battle. Still an amazing experience, with harrowing battle scenes, SAVING PRIVATE RYAN also stands as a tribute to veterans…with John Williams’ transcendent Hymn to the Fallen finishing as one of his greatest compositions. 

5. THE MATRIX (1999)

By 1999, Spielberg and his friend George Lucas were making strides with CGI, but no one really seemed to know what to do with this new tech. That all changed when the Wachowski sibling’s THE MATRIX blew everyone’s minds in the final year of the decade. Heavy on philosophy while re-writing the book on visual effects, THE MATRIX to this day has people questioning their own reality and proved that science fiction still has a place in cinema and in culture. Groundbreaking for sci-fi and for blockbuster movies, it didn’t let the new CGI visual effects hijack the story. 

4. BRAVEHEART (1995)

Mel Gibson’s Oscar-winning epic about Scottish freedom fighter William Wallace solidified his reputation as a powerhouse director. BRAVEHEART was huge in scope, employing thousands of extras while never losing sight of its main character. Made years before CGI took over large-scale battles, it has a sense of realism that harks back to the Hollywood of old. They simply don’t make them like this anymore. Emotional, brutal, and beautiful…this Blogger’s personal favorite of the decade. 

3. THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION (1994)

Frank Darabont’s prison-break and character-study film may have borrowed a lot from ESCAPE FROM ALCATRAZ (1979), but that doesn’t take away from how well it resonates. Where ALCATRAZ played it straight and narrow, SHAWSHANK goes deeper and gets intimate with its characters within the brutality of their surroundings. Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman turn in excellent performances, and Bob Gunton’s Warden stands one of the best cinematic villains. It is quoted often and wraps with one of the best and memorable closing shots and tag lines; get busy living, or get busy dying. 

2. THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991)

The first and only “horror” movie to win Best Picture. Jonathan Demme’s crime thriller about an FBI trainee (Jodie Foster), confiding in an incarcerated cannibalistic serial killer (Anthony Hopkins), was terrifying in all the best ways. It got under our skin and into our heads, which is exactly where we don’t want Hannibal the Cannibal to be. Fueled by excellent acting from the entire cast and plenty of twists, LAMBS shocks as well as it entertains. 

1. GOODFELLAS (1990)

This may seem like a popular choice, but maybe for good reasons. Nearly thirty years since its release, Martin Scorsese’s gangster epic still has a firm place in pop culture, as it is often quoted, parodied, and used as the standard by which all gangster films are judged by. Every scene clicks perfectly, with Scorsese’s sharp direction and fiery performances from Ray Liotta, Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco, and Paul Sorvino. Scorsese’s knack for excellent camera movement and being able to pick the perfect cut of pop-music for each scene makes the film soar, and despite the bloodshed, works as an exploration of how the mob created their own counter-culture; a rebellion driven by centuries-old customs against the traditional working society. No movie has come out of The Nineties as unscathed as GOODFELLAS.  

REEL SPEAK’S TOP 10 BEST FILMS OF THE NINETIES

1. GOODFELLAS
2. THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS
3. THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION
4. BRAVEHEART
5. THE MATRIX
6. SAVING PRIVATE RYAN
7. BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
8. SE7EN
9. SCHINDLER'S LIST
10. TOY STORY

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Read Reel Speak's Top 10 Best Films of The Eighties HERE

A Reel Review: BOMBSHELL

Much like the TV news business, Hollywood is always in a rush to be first; historical events that just happened a few years back are pushed and pushed hard to get to the big screen as soon as possible. These efforts can be good or ugly, and sometimes that rush can be felt on screen. Such is the case for Jay Roach’s BOMBSHELL. 

Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson (Nicole Kidman), files a sexual harassment suit against News President Roger Ailes (John Lithgow), after she is fired. Her suit has ripple effects on everyone in the newsroom, including fellow anchor Megyn Kelly (Charlize Theron), and newcomer Kayla (Margot Robbie). 

BOMBSHELL is rightfully treated as the origin story for the MeToo movement, which has ousted many men of power who used that power to sexually harass women. The stakes and the pressure are high; when Carlson files her suit, she is need of other women to come forward to support her story. This makes life difficult for Kelly who was once harassed herself by Ailes, and for Kayla who is career-minded but also willing to do whatever takes (with Ailes) to move up the ladder. 

It’s the story of three women living and working through a tumultuous time at Fox News and eventually the entire entertainment industry. It’s an important topic, but the script just seems to be in a big damn hurry to get from point to point. Characters are not characters as much as waypoints, and the pressures of the situation don’t seem to get to them very much. If this movie was rushed into production, it certainly shows. 

Jay Roach’s direction is sharp and keeps the story moving, with bits of humor nicely timed. The seriousness of the lawsuit and how it could affect people’s jobs feels downplayed, and the plight of women vs. powerful men who act like baboons feels like it could have been taken more seriously. BOMBSHELL clicks along just fine with little to no flaws, but at under two hours it feels truncated. 

Performances are magnificent. Charlize Theron nails her real-life counterparts voice and mannerisms perfectly, as does Nicole Kidman and John Lithgow. Margot Robbie’s character is a composite/made-up person, but her performance is very good. The real surprise comes from Kate McKinnon, who plays a Fox news producer and lesbian and friend to Kayla. McKinnon finally shows some dramatic chops and does very well. The rest of the cast is excellent; Mark Duplass, Allison Janney, Malcolm McDowell, Alice Eve, Richard Kind, and Jennifer Morrison. 

By the time BOMBSHELL ends, there’s a bit of a “that’s it?” feeling, as it lacks the depth to really hit the emotional beats. It’s functional and entertaining, but it’s just a shame it was in such a big hurry to get to the end. 

BOTTOM LINE: Rent it 

A Reel Preview: The Year in Film 2020 - Episode I

Happy New Year! With the coming of January, we have entered Movie Siberia; a virtual dumping ground of cast-offs deemed not fun enough for the crowd-pleasing Summer months and no-way-in-hell good enough for Oscar Season. Here now is a preview for the notable releases for the first month of 2020. 

It all creeps in with…

THE GRUDGE – This supernatural horror film is a soft reboot of the 2004 U.S. remake of the Japanese horror film, which spawned two sequels. The events of this film, in which an evil entity is created when a person dies in anger, takes place during the same time as those of the 2004 movie. 

THE INFORMER – Joel Kinnaman (ROBOCOP), plays a special agent working undercover for crooked FBI handlers to infiltrate the Polish mob. It co-stars Rosamund Pike (GONE GIRL), Ana de Armas (KNIVES OUT), and Clive Owen. 

LIKE A BOSS – Two friends (Rose Byrne, Tiffany Haddish), start a beauty company and get out of debt by way of a benefactor (Salma Hayek), who starts stealing from them. 

UNDERWATER – In this sci-fi horror film, a crew of underwater researchers are stranded when a mysterious earthquake damages their submerged lab. It stars Kristen Stewart (TWILIGHT), Vincent Cassel (BLACK SWAN), T.J. Miller, and Jessica Henwick. 

BAD BOYS FOR LIFE – Will Smith and Martin Lawrence re-unite for the third installment of the BAD BOYS buddy-cop series, which was started way back in 1995 by Michael Bay. Bay steps aside this time for co-directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah. 

DOLITTLE – Robert Downey Jr. (IRON MAN), plays the beloved children’s book character of Dr. Dolittle; the man who can speak to animals. The packed cast of animal-voices includes Antonio Banderas, Michael Sheen, Emma Thompson, Rami Malek, John Cena, Octavia Spencer, Tom Holland, Marion Cotillard, Selena Gomez, and Ralph Fiennes. 

THE GENTLEMEN – Guy Ritchie (SHERLOCK HOLMES, ALADDIN), directs this action crime film in which a drug lord looks to get out of the business. It stars Matthew McConaughey, Michelle Dockery, Jeremy Strong, Eddie Marsan, Colin Farrell, Hugh Grant, and Charlie Hunnam (TV’s SONS OF ANARCHY). 

THE TURNING – In this horror flick, a nanny discovers that the two orphans in her care are hiding dark secrets. It stars Mackenzie Davis, Brooklyn Prince, and Finn Wolfhard (TV’S STRANGER THINGS). It is directed by Floria Sigismondi (THE RUNAWAYS). 

GRETEL AND HANSEL – Yet another version of the famed folk tale, with Alice Krige playing the witch. 

THE RHYTHM SECTION – In this spy thriller, a woman seeks to uncover the truth behind a plane crash that killed her family years earlier. Jude Law co-stars. 

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Next month, Reel Speak previews the month of February. 

A Reel Review: UNCUT GEMS

The “morality tale” has been, as always shall be, one of the best forms of storytelling. Movies that can push a moral about right and wrong are easy ways to go for children’s films, and can be toughened up to work for mature fare. For UNCUT GEMS, the newest film from Josh and Benny Safdie, the shady underworld of gambling and the dealing of imported gems is the background for their troubled main character who can’t tell that difference from right and wrong. 

Howard Ratner (Adam Sandler), is a low-profile jewelry dealer in New York who has a massive amount of gambling debt. He acquires a rare, uncut opal which he looks to auction off for millions. When NBA superstar Kevin Garnett (played by himself), borrows the rock as a good luck charm in his upcoming playoff series, Howard takes Garnett’s championship ring as collateral. 

UNCUT GEMS does not have much by way of plot, and instead follows Howard as he makes one increasingly bad decision after another over the span of less than a week. Immediately after acquiring Garnett’s valuable championship ring for collateral, he pawns it for cash to place a bet on Garnett’s Celtic team. This of course goes south which leaves Garnett keeping Howard’s valuable rock and Howard with no way to get the ring out of the pawn shop. This is just the beginning, as Howard must also duck and run from thuggish collectors, hide his problems from his wife and kid, and figure out how to pay back money and favors he owes to his family and in-laws. 

Howard is asshole, and he knows it, and the film knows it too. UNCUT GEMS is a throwback to the nihilistic movies of the 1970’s, where godless, anti-heroes such as Travis Bickle and Michael Corleone owned the big screens. Unfortunately, this script doesn’t give any backstory or context to Howard’s behavior, which makes it impossible for us to hope that he comes out on top despite his shady dealings and dumb decisions. Why is he an asshole? Was he born that way, or did he have to work at it…and why? It’s all a mystery. He’s a paper-thin, one-dimensional jerk that we don’t mind seeing getting beat up or worse. 

Despite the annoying attributes of Howard, there is still a lot to appreciate in UNCUT GEMS. Editing is sharp, and the building of tension in simple scenes like a stuck door and Howard watching a game on TV is excellent. The film is shot in a dark and gritty style that makes us want to shower after viewing, and some amazing-looking, mystical sequences involving the opal and a medical procedure are fascinating. The film still makes its share of blunders; several characters talk all at once which makes for a huge headache, and when Howard gets stripped naked by collectors and thrown into a car trunk…he is allowed to keep his cell phone so he could easily call for help. Yeah, that’ll teach him a lesson. The script also does the lazy method of using F-bombs, MF-bombs, and N-words every five seconds to try and sound tough…when all it does is seem juvenile. 

Adam Sandler, who has played juvenile his entire career, turns in the performance of his life. He doesn’t look, sound, or act like his old self, and his emotional moments are a shock. Kevin Garnett does very well in front of the camera. Idina Menzel of Broadway and Let It Go fame plays Howard’s wife and is superb, as is Julia Fox as Howard’s on-again, off-again girlfriend. The rest of the cast, including Judd Hirsch, Mike Francesa, Eric Bogosian, and Pom Klementieff are all very good. 

Howard’s string of bad choices eventually catch up with him, despite a light at the end of his self-imposed dark tunnel, and the Safdie Brothers build an incredible climax with a shock of a conclusion. UNCUT GEMS definitely works as a morality tale, and that’s good…but it fails in providing a character we want to see win…and that’s bad. 

BOTTOM LINE: Rent it 

A Reel Review: LITTLE WOMEN

A good movie can be found anywhere, even in remakes and re-adaptations. Unfortunately, taking a

nother shot at old material hasn’t worked out well for Hollywood in the last decade or so. Most of them are crappy, shameless cash-grabs (GHOSTBUSTERS, POLTERGEIST) that bank on the name alone, while others (A STAR IS BORN, TRUE GRIT), can be excellent yet ignored by the awards circuit. Finding a fresh angle to make a remake work is key, and that is the challenge for director Greta Gerwig, who is behind yet another shot at LITTLE WOMEN. 

The March sisters; Jo (Saoirse Ronan), Met (Emma Watson), Amy (Florence Pugh), and Beth (Eliza Scanlen), grow up during the Civil War and experience hard times, family drama, love triangles, and battle with each other on their way to adulthood. 

Not looking to retread old territory, this version of LITTLE WOMEN swiftly and effectively sets itself apart from previous adaptations by employing a non-linear style of storytelling. The film begins where it ends (and eventually ends where it begins), by introducing us to the March sisters at a point in their lives where they are living apart; leading different lives and nearly estranged. How they got there is the real story, and the film uses flashbacks and then flash-forwards to unfold their journeys. It’s unexpected, different, and bold. 

The film settles itself into a series of vignettes, and through them the characteristics of the March sisters are fleshed out nicely. We have Jo the independent one with aspirations to be a paid writer, Amy the brat, Beth the shy yet talented piano player, and Beth the traditionalist. Together they bond to survive the War while their father (Bob Odenkirk) is away fighting, and their mother (Laura Dern), is left to care for them. During all this a love triangle develops between their well-to-do neighbor Laurie (Timothee Chalamet), which eventually causes drama between the sisters. Gerwig is playing with many themes of love, loss, family, and self-sacrifice, and weaves them well through every flashback and flash-forward.

A film with the non-linear style of this LITTLE WOMEN requires precise editing, and for the most part it works beautifully. The style of cinematography marks the past and present (the past is colorful, the present is not), and other visual clues such as hairstyles help to re-orient the viewer. The first flash-forward is a bit jarring, as we’re not quite aware that the story jumped ahead, but once the film finds its groove it works and works well. The transitions from past to present are timed just right, and two extended sequences featuring a family tragedy and a lovely memory are edited together in a way that takes us through an emotional roller-coaster. The movie looks great, and the score by Alexandre Desplat is excellent. 

Also excellent is the acting, as Gerwig gets top-notch performances from the entire cast. Saoirse Ronan gets most of the screentime, and carries her character as well as she ever did. Emma Watson and Eliza Scanlen are also very good, and Florence Pugh steals the show. The great Meryl Streep comes in as the sister’s aunt and has some very funny scenes, but feels a little under-utilized. Timothee Chalamet plays a love-sick puppy-dog and is as annoying as he his charming. 

Time will tell if this version of LITTLE WOMEN will stand as the definitive version of the story, which has now seen the big screen seven times and the little TV screen six times…but it is by far the most unique and daring, and the performances by all make it a tear-jerker more than once. Despite having its share of tragedy and the sad transition from childhood to adult, it’s a feel-good film that would be right at home on a holiday watch-list, and that makes it timeless. 

BOTTOM LINE: See it