Film Review by Kam Williams

Revealing Biopic Chronicles Formative Years Of Legendary Fantasy Writer

J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973) was a British fantasy novelist best known for “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings.” After being orphaned at an early age, he attended King Edwards, an exclusive boarding school where he forged close friendships with classmates which would endure over his lifetime.

There, he first referred to this semi-secret association of writers and artists as a “fellowship,” a term which ostensibly influenced the unique lexicon of his fictional work. He was also very sensitive about the pronunciation of his surname to the extent that he even complained about it to the school administration, emphasizing that it was “een” as opposed to “in.”

While at King Edwards, he met and fell head over heels for Edith Bratt (Lily Collins), an attractive classmate who would not only serve as his muse but as the inspiration for a couple of his characters. The lovebirds wed in 1916 but unfortunately their marital bliss would soon be interrupted by his deployment to France in World World I.

Unfortunately, the separation from his wife exacted a further emotional toll on the already traumatized Tolkien. Sadly, it spelled the demise of his confederacy of intellects, too.

Directed by Dome Karukoski, Tolkien is a poignant portrait which reveals its subject to be quite a complicated soul. The title role is capably played by Nicholas Hoult who delivers a piercingly evocative performance, probing the depths of the literary giant's psyche in plausible fashion. 
 
The ethereal plotline drifts back and forth between the sobering and the surreal, unfolding against a war torn landscape of dire proportions. Childhood angst plus wartime trauma yields escapist fantasies for the ages.

Excellent (4 stars)

Rated PG-13 for war violence

Running time: 112 minutes

Production Companies: Fox Searchlight Pictures / Chernin Entertainment

Distributor: Fox Searchlight Pictures / Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

To see a trailer for Tolkien, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZ1vn85iQRE

Bolden

 

Film Review by Kam Williams

Overdue Biopic Belatedly Pays Tribute to Jazz Pioneer

Buddy Bolden (1877-1931) was born in New Orleans, where he took up the cornet at an early age. His unique approach to the instrument involved a novel form of improvisation while playing a combination of gospel, blues and ragtime. 
 
Well before the emergence of Louis Armstrong, Buddy was a popular bandleader credited with creating a new genre of music: jazz! Sadly, this genius has mostly been forgotten by history because no recordings or arrangements of his songs survived.

However, thanks to legendary trumpeter Wynton Marsalis in collaboration with writer/director Dan Pritzker, we now have Bolden, a brilliant biopic painting a poignant portrait of what Buddy's life might have been like. Marsalis composed, arranged and played on the soundtrack, relying on what scraps of his subject's work he could unearth.

Similarly, Pritzker cobbled together a speculative storyline based on the few facts available about Bolden. What we do know is that his career ended in 1907 when he was committed to the mental institution where he would spend the last of his days in obscurity.

Bolden is basically a flashback flick unfolding from the surreal perspective of a patient struggling to make sense of his life. The film stars Garry Carr who delivers a riveting performance as black man whose spirit has been broken by racism and a host of other maladies flowing from that oppression.

Don't miss this overdue tribute to a forgotten jazz pioneer!

Excellent (4 stars)

Rated R for sexuality, graphic nudity, profanity, ethnic slurs, brutal violence and drug use

Running time: 108 minutes

Production Companies: King Bolden LLC

Distributor: Abramorama

To see a trailer for Bolden, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80D1UrXqUsE

The Mustang

Film Review by Kam Williams

Hardened Con Offered Shot at Redemption by Rough-Edged Horse Whisperer

Roman Coleman (Matthias Schoenaerts) has too quick a fuse to think before he acts. That's why he's done a dozen years and counting in a maximum-security prison for impulsively delivering a brutal beating that left his victim permanently brain-damaged. 
 
Even while incarcerated, Roman's never learned to control his temper. Consequently, he's voluntarily spent the bulk of his time in solitary confinement. 
 
A shot at rehabilitation finally arrives when Myles (Bruce Dern), a salty, old horse whisperer, offers Roman a spot in his program pairing inmates with wild mustangs. The hope is that each participant will learn to tame his own raging inner soul while bonding with his stallion.

Roman grudgingly accepts the invitation, before being assigned to work with a bucking bronco he names Marcus. Under the watchful eye of the sage trainer, con and colt do gradually take to each other, although not without its share of fits and starts. 
 
Marking Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre's nonpareil directorial debut, The Mustang is a character-driven masterpiece co-starring Matthias Schoenaerts and Bruce Dern. The two generate considerable chemistry in the course of delivering powerful performances against a variety of visually-captivating backdrops, ranging from the vast expanse of a barren, Nevada desert to the claustrophobic confines of one of the State's penal institutions.

An emotionally-engaging meditation on redemption inspired by a real-life program helping inmates turn their lives around.

Excellent (4 stars)

Rated R for profanity, violence and drug use

Running time: 96 minutes

Production Companies: Legende Films / Cine+ / Canal+

Distributor: Focus Features

To see a trailer for The Mustang, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2a-KSOCIeY

Hotel Mumbai

Film Review by Kam Williams

Harrowing Docudrama Recounts 2008 Mumbai Massacre

On November 26, 2008, radical Islamists from Pakistan launched a series of coordinated attacks around the city of Mumbai which would claim 174 lives and leave hundreds more wounded. Within hours of the raid, the authorities were able to secure all of the sites except for the legendary Taj Mahal Palace Hotel.

The jihadists ostensibly picked the legendary 5-star resort as the location for a final showdown because of its image as a getaway spot for rich and famous Westerners. The siege there would last four days, since the local police were outgunned by the terrorists who were armed to the teeth with bombs, hand grenades and automatic weapons. 

 

Directed by Anthony Maras, Hotel Mumbai is a harrowing docudrama which recreates the horrific events which transpired inside the Taj. In making his movie, the first-time filmmaker relied heavily on Mumbai Massacre, a 2009 documentary composed of survivors' recollections of their nightmares.

This fictionalized account, which changes names and conflates characters, primarily revolves around the ordeals of Arjun (Dev Patel) and David (Armie Hammer). The former is a selfless Sikh waiter who exhibits extraordinary heroism in an effort to save as many of the hotel's traumatized guests as possible. And the latter is a frazzled tourist desperate to reunite with his wife (Nazanin Boniadi), baby and nanny (Tilda Cobham-Hervey).

Besides these protagonists, the film features a profusion of simplistically-drawn supporting players, a la your typical disaster flick. There's the Russian playboy (Jason Isaacs), an elitist, world-class chef (Anupam Kher), a deferential butler (Alex Pinder), and so forth.

After the motley ensemble is introduced, the burning question left to be answered is which of these trapped victims will be able to remain undiscovered by the bloodthirsty assassins until the Special Forces Unit finally arrives from Delhi, some 800 miles away. For, the terrorist cell in control of the building is portrayed as religious zealots blinded by the prospect of paradise promised by The Bull (Pawan Singh), the operation's diabolical mastermind.

Yes, the hotel is ultimately retaken and order is restored. Nevertheless, the S.W.A.T. Team's belated triumph remains overshadowed by the sobering reality of so many lives senselessly lost. In sum, an uplifting tale of heroism and survival, as well as a haunting reminder of the evil that men do.

Excellent (4 stars)

Rated R for profanity, bloody images and pervasive violence

Running time: 123 minutes

Production Companies: Thunder Road Pictures / Xeitgeist Entertainment Group / Arclight Films Electric Pictures

Distributors: Bleecker Street

To see a trailer for Hotel Mumbai, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8IxhVslvro

The Favourite

Film Review by Kam Williams

Olivia Colman Delivers Oscar-Winning Performance in Revisionist Costume Drama

Queen Anne (1665-1714) was a sickly monarch whose dozen-year reign ran from 1702 to 1714. She was also married to Prince George of Denmark from 1683 until he passed away at Kensington Palace in 1708. 

 

Although Anne was unable to produce an heir, it wasn't from a lack of trying. She was pregnant 17 times, but most of her babies either miscarried or were stillborn, and the handful carried to term died during infancy. The Queen coped with the loss by raising 17 pet rabbits, one for each offspring, a curious way to grieve, indeed. 

 

Until now, Anne and George have been generally remembered as having been faithful and devoted partners. But you can add The Favourite to the long list of revisionist sagas which deign to impose present-day values while ignoring long-standing, conventional wisdom.

So, a British history buff is more likely to be frustrated by The Favourite than your average fan of the costume drama genre. The carefully-constructed crowd-pleaser was nominated for ten Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director (Yorgos Lanthimos) and Best Original Screenplay. 

 

The three female leads in this lesbian love triangle were nominated, too, although Olivia Colman landed the movie's sole Oscar for her memorable performance as domineering Queen Anne. Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone co-star opposite Colman, as a duchess and a servant vying for the manipulative monarch's affections. 

 

At the point of departure, we find Lady Sarah (Weisz) already attending to every need of an obese queen crippled by gout. The two are also secretly conducting a passionate, forbidden affair. 

 

But when Abigail (Stone) arrives on the scene, Anne's head is turned by the attractive young maid. A subtle power struggle ensues, as each of the subjects does her best to become the queen's constant companion. Meanwhile, Anne's real-life hubby, George, is conveniently absent entirely from the tale.

A fabricated romantic romp for folks more concerned about a historical drama's entertainment value than its commitment to the facts.

Excellent (4 stars)

Rated R for profanity, nudity and graphic sexuality

Running time: 119 minutes

Production Companies: Element Pictures / Scarlet Films / Film4 Productions / Waypoint Entertainment

Distributor: Fox Searchlight Pictures

To see a trailer for The Favourite, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYb-wkehT1g

Roma

Film Review by Kam Williams

Devoted Nanny Dotes on Kids in Dysfunctional Family Drama

Cleo Gutierrez (Yalitza Aparicio) is one of two live-in maids maintaining the home of Antonio (Fernando Grediaga) and Sofia (Marina de Tavira), couple in crisis with four young children. They can afford the help, which includes a chauffeur, because he's a prominent physician. But they also need the staff, since Antonio spends so much time supposedly attending “conferences in Canada.” 

 

The delinquent dad explains his absence to the kids as being away on business. However his long-suffering wife suspects that he's just up to monkey business with his mistress, which explains why she's not above begging him to cancel a trip. Luckily, Sofia has a shoulder to cry on in her mother, Teresa (Veronica Garcia), who lives with them, too. 

 

Meanwhile, Cleo and her fellow nanny, Adela (Nancy Garcia), dutifully assume the bulk of the child-rearing and housekeeping duties. Both of these servants hail from humble roots, being uneducated peasants of Mixteco, native Mexican heritage. 

 

Yet, like typical young women, they do dream of someday escaping their lowly station to start families of their own. And each has a romantic interest. Cleo's is Fermin (Jorge Antonio Guerrero), a cousin of Adela's boyfriend, Ramon (Jose Manuel Guerrero Mendoza). 

 

The plot thickens the evening the two couples go on a double date to a movie theater. Against her better judgment, Cleo leaves early with Fermin who has reserved a motel room where they share an evening of passionate, unprotected sex. 

 

She ends up pregnant, and a moment of truth arrives when her baby-daddy reacts badly to the news that he's about to become a father. So, now she has to worry whether she'll be fired when she tells Sofia that she's knocked up. 

 

Thus unfolds Roma, a semi-autobiographical, dysfunctional family drama written and directed by Alfonso Cuaron. Set in Mexico City in the Seventies, this impressionistic saga shot in black & white more than makes up in atmosphere what it might lack in meaningful dialogue. 

 

Kudos to Cuaron for crafting such a visually-captivating, surreal memoir of his troubled coming of age! 

 

Excellent (4 stars)

Rated R for profanity, disturbing images and graphic nudity

In Spanish and Mixtec with subtitles.

Running time: 135 minutes

Production Companies: Esperanto Filmoj / Participant Media

Distributor: Netflix

To see a trailer for Roma, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BS27ngZtxg

Cold War

Film Review by Kam Williams

Star-Crossed Lovers Repeatedly Rendezvous in Polish Postwar Drama

Dateline: Poland, 1949. The countryside is still devastated by the blight left behind in the wake of the Second World War. It is amidst these ruins that we find young Zula Lichon (Joanna Kulig) auditioning for a spot in the national entertainment ensemble.

The aspiring singer-dancer should be thankful for her good looks, since she only survives the tryout because the repertory company's powerful musical director, Wiktor Warski (Tomasz Kot), is quite taken by her beauty. The pretty peasant girl, in turn, is quite flattered by the attention being lavished on her by her handsome and relatively-sophisticated advocate, even though he's old enough to be her father.

Before long, the two start sleeping together, indulging an animal magnetism during stolen moments between their traveling troupe's performances at various ports of call behind the Iron Curtain. Sadly, they are far less passionate about their work than they are about each other.

That's because the group finds itself pressured to stage productions that are pure propaganda, given how Poland, as part of the Soviet bloc, is under the thumb of Stalinist Russia. In fact, the political paranoia of the era so deeply affects Zula, that she meets weekly with a Communist Party boss (Lech Kaczmarek) to secretly snitch on her unsuspecting lover's conduct.

The jaded artists hatch a plan to defect to the West in 1952 following a concert in East Berlin. But when only one of the two follows through with the plan, they end up separated and terribly frustrated for the next dozen years.

Thus unfolds Cold War, a melancholy masterpiece written and directed by Pawel Pawlikowski. His previous picture, Ida, won the Best Foreign Film Oscar in 2015. This black & white romance drama has deservedly landed a trio of nominations, in the Foreign Film, Director and Cinematography categories.

Between a sobering score and haunting settings, Pawlikowski has created the perfect backdrop for a maudlin postmortem contemplating the fate of a couple of star-crossed lovers.

Excellent (4 stars)

Rated R for sexuality, nudity and profanity

In Polish. French, Russian, German, Italian and Croatian

Running time: 89 minutes

Production Companies: Opus Films / Polish Film Institute / Film4 / BFI / MK2 Films

Distributor: Amazon Studios

To see a trailer for Cold War, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvPkDdFeTk8

Black

Film Review by Kam Williams

Traffic Stop Death Triggers Revolt in Black Lives Matter Drama

Joseph Grant (Toussaint Morrison) was riding in a car with his brother Cole (Malick Ceesay) and BFF Derek (Geoff Briley) one afternoon when they suddenly found themselves being tailed by a police cruiser. Although they hadn't violated any rules of the road, they were inexplicably pulled over by a couple of overly zealous cops (Addison Pennington and Matt Cedarberg), ostensibly for merely “driving while black.” 

 

Sitting in the back seat, Cole asked the officers for an explanation for the stop, if they weren't being profiled. Their response was that he matched the description of a suspect they were looking for. 

 

After being asked for his ID and ordered him out of the car, Cole lost his temper. The next thing you know, he wound up on the ground with a pistol to his head. And the bigot with a badge in control of whether he lived or died yelled, “What you looking at boy?” before callously pulling the trigger.

Witnessing the senseless shooting of his only brother leaves Joe traumatized and Derek is understandably shaken, too. But the two have distinctly different feelings about what to do next. 

 

The former has no faith in the criminal justice system, given the long history of police being found not guilty for the deaths of unarmed African-Americans. So, he would just like to get some guns, recruit an army, and lead a violent revolution against the U.S. 

 

By contrast, Derek is interested in mounting a traditional protest, like a Black Lives Matter march. After all, he has no confidence Joe will be able to find any followers, especially since blacks are so brainwashed they mostly kill only other blacks, not whites. The ensuing debate of how to respond to Cole's untimely demise sits at the center of Black, a thought-provoking morality play written and directed by David J. Buchanan. 

 

Besides the badinage between the buddies, the film intermittently takes a break from the drama for brief, revealing tete-a-tetes with real-life black folks about their first encounters in life with the cops. The heartfelt recollections shared in these mini-documentaries combine to paint a widespread pattern of discrimination and abuse on the part of the police.

A compelling polemic revolving around a grief-stricken sibling's relentlessly making his case, like a latter-day Nat Turner, for armed insurrection!

 

Excellent (4 stars)

Unrated

Running time: 80 minutes

Production Studio: BLACK Productions

Studio: We-Co Films

To see a trailer for Black, visit: https://vimeo.com/281669294

 

Film Review by Kam Williams

Gina Rodriguez Plays Kidnap Victim in Tijuana Action Thriller

Gloria (Gina Rodriguez) is a Hollywood makeup artist sorely in need of a break from her abusive boss. The straw that broke the camel's back came the day he condescendingly responded to her resourcefulness with the insulting, “Honey, we're not paying you to think.”

 

So, on her way out the door, Gloria stole a couple of bags of cosmetics for her lifelong friend, Suzu (Cristina Rodlo), who is about to enter the Miss Baja beauty contest. Suzu still lives south of the border in their hometown of Tijuana with her little brother, Chava (Sebastian Cano).

Not long after arriving, the BFFs head out to a disco to attend a party sponsored by the pageant. But the two are soon separated when a gunfight breaks out between the police and La Estrella, a drug cartel led by the bloodthirsty Lino Esperanza (Ismael Cruz Cordova).

Gloria ends up in the maniacal mobster's clutches, and is unwittingly duped into blowing up a DEA safe house with three agents inside. She's subsequently apprehended by Agent Brian Reich (Matt Lauria) who doesn't believe a word of her improbable alibi.

He forces Gloria to prove her innocence by infiltrating Lino's gang in order to help the U.S. government bring down the vicious crime syndicate. Of course, that's easier said than done since she's a beautician unschooled in undercover detective work.

That's the captivating premise established at the outset of Miss Bala, a frenetically-paced remake of the 2011 Mexican action thriller of the same name. The film was directed by Catherine Hardwicke whose adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's vampire romance novel Twilight netted around $400 million at the box office.

Here, Hardwicke has crafted a compelling cross of Taken (2008) and Miss Congeniality (2000). The movie's relentless sense of urgency is reminiscent of the former, while the protagonist's grudging participation in a beauty pageant is similar to Sandra Bullock's fish-out-of-water performance in the latter.

A two-fisted tale of female empowerment featuring a riveting roller coaster ride you'll never forget!

Excellent (4 stars)

Rated PG-13 for violence, profanity, sexuality, drug use and mature themes

In English and Spanish with subtitles

Running time: 104 minutes

Production Companies: Sony Pictures Entertainment / Canana Films / Misher Films

Distributor: Columbia Pictures

To see a trailer for Miss Bala, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaI-4NepPfU

The Kid Who Would be King

 

Film Review by Kam Williams

Bullied Schoolboy Morphs into King Arthur in Modern Epic Fantasy

British schoolboy Alex Elliot (Louis Ashbourne Serkis) is the unlikeliest of heroes. After all, the pint-sized 12 year-old and his nerdy BFF, Bedders (Dean Chaumoo), are bullied on a daily basis at Dungate Academy. 

 

Unfortunately, Alex doesn't have a father or a big brother to teach him how to deal with his tormentors. His dad disappeared ages ago, leaving behind a copy of “King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table” inscribed with a dedication comparing his son to the classic novel's legendary title character.

Sure enough, life starts imitating art the day Alex summons up the courage to intervene when he catches a couple of cruel classmates, Kaye (Rhianna Dorris) and Lance, (Tom Taylor) torturing Bedders. Later that afternoon, Alex yanks out a sword he finds stuck in a boulder on a construction site, a feat reminiscent of how Arthur extracted Excalibur from a stone in accordance with ancient folklore.

Next, a new transfer student, Merlin (Angus Imrie), encourages Alex to embrace his destiny as a latter-day King Arthur. Once convinced, Alex uses his sword to knight not only his buddy Bedders, but their for adversaries Kaye and Lance (aka Sir Lancelot). 

 

With time of the essence, the four join forces with Merlin (aka Merlin the Magician), to defeat Morgana (Rebecca Ferguson) an evil, medieval sorceress bent on world domination. She comes equipped with a scary army of flaming skeletons which the youngsters only have a few days to subdue to prevent a cataclysmic solar eclipse. 

 

Written and directed by Joe Cornish (Attack the Block), The Kid Who Would be King is an entertaining re-imagining of a classic epic adventure. Yes, it's rated a tyke-friendly PG, yet it's also well enough crafted to enthrall young and old alike from beginning to end. 

 

A wholesome family treat with an inspirational message!

Excellent (4 stars)

Rated PG for action, violence, scary images, mature themes and mild epithets

Running time: 120 minutes

Production Companies: 20^th Century Fox / Working Title Films / Big Talk Productions

Studio: 20^th Century Fox

To see a trailer for The Kid Who Would be King, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWwVD1xdAX4

Destroyer

 

Film Review by Kam Williams

Nicole Kidman Stars as Obsessed Detective in Riveting Revenge Thriller

Erin Bell (Nicole Kidman) is a veteran LAPD detective whose partner, Chris (Sebastian Stan), died when his cover was blown during an undercover operation gone bad. Courtesy of flashbacks, we learn that he was murdered by Silas (Toby Kebbell), the leader of the gang of bank robbers the two had infiltrated.

At the time, Erin and Chris were also lovers, and she was pregnant with his baby. Fast forward 16 years and we find the single-mom doing a miserable job of raising their rebellious daughter, Shelby (Jade Pettyjohn), who is presently under the spell of a surly slacker (Beau Knapp) already in his twenties.

The problem is that ghost-like Erin ostensibly never recovered from the loss of Chris. Haggard, pale and rudderless, she's ostensibly still haunted by the fact that Silas and his henchmen vanished with the millions stolen in the heist and were never apprehended.

A crack in the long-dormant case arrives when some incriminating evidence at a crime scene indicates that the gang has finally resurfaced. The clues revitalize traumatized Erin who goes rogue on an obsessed, one-woman quest to track down Silas.

Thus unfolds Destroyer, a riveting, relentless, revenge-fueled thriller directed by Karyn Kusama (Aeon Flux). Nicole Kidman deservedly landed a Golden Globe nomination for her unforgettable performance as the picture's hard-boiled heroine. She's virtually rendered unrecognizable by a very demanding role as a self-abusing, shell of a human-turned-wanton vigilante. 

 

Besides Kidman brilliantly playing against type, this nihilistic neo noir features a capable cast deftly executing a convoluted, cat-and-mouse screenplay in convincing fashion. A must-see tale of female empowerment representing the best work yet by director Kusama.

Excellent (4 stars)

Rated R for violence, sexuality, drug use and pervasive profanity

Running time: 123 minutes

Production Companies: 30 West / Automatik Entertainment

Studio: Annapurna Pictures

To see a trailer for Destroyer, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqHaLUoiWZU

Vice

Film Review by Kam Williams

Christian Bale Morphs into Dick Cheney in Seriocomic Biopic

Who is the real Dick Cheney (Christian Bale) and how did he become the most powerful vice president in U.S. history? Those are the fundamental questions explored by Vice, an alternately hilarious and sobering biopic written and directed by Adam McKay.

McKay won an Oscar in 2016 for his brilliant adaptation of The Big Short, the Michael Lewis best seller chronicling the complicated series of events leading to the stock market collapse of 2007. Nevertheless, he probably remains better known for having previously directed a string of sophomoric comedies starring Will Ferrell including Anchorman 1 and 2, Talladega Nights, Step Brothers and The Other Guys. 

 

Despite Vice's relatively-sophisticated subject matter, McKay's comedic roots are showing here. And while all the jokes might prevent the audience from taking the events depicted as gospel truth, the humorous asides serve as a very welcome relief from an otherwise scary tale of blind ambition. They also have the effect of injecting a little personality into a guy who was basically a boring bureaucrat.

The picture's point of departure is Cheney's wayward youth marked by multiple arrests for driving under the influence and flunking out of Yale University. Back home in Wyoming, he finally gets his act together with the help of his childhood sweetheart-turned-wife, Lynne (Amy Adams). She reads him the riot act, making it clear she's unwilling to be married to an underachieving loser like her late father.

Soon, Cheney picks politics as a career path, starting out as an assistant to Donald Rumsfeld (Steve Carell) in the Nixon Administration. He held a number of other positions before becoming President Ford's White House Chief of Staff.

He subsequently represented Wyoming in Congress for a decade before being appointed Secretary of Defense by President Bush 41. In 1995, he entered the private sector to serve as CEO of Halliburton. 

 

He returned to government when George W. Bush wanted him as a running mate, but only on the condition that as veep he'd be in charge of foreign policy, intelligence briefings and numerous executive departments. Bush 43 agrees, thus completing the unlikely evolution of an uncharismatic political hack into a sinister Machiavellian figure with the reins of world power at his disposal.

Credit the chameleon-like Christian Bale for thoroughly disappearing into his role as Cheney. More importantly, Bale plays him with just the right combination of venom and vulnerability to humanize a complicated character quite convincingly.

FYI, Vice is the third film co-starring Bale and Amy Adams. They both received Academy Award nominations for The Fighter in 2011, as well as for American Hustle in 2014, and will undoubtedly do so again for this equally-impressive collaboration. And you can bank on this seriocomic satire garnering a Best Picture nomination, too. 

 

Excellent (4 stars)

Rated R for profanity and violent images

Running time: 132 minutes

Production Companies: Plan B Entertainment / Gary Sanchez Productions / Annapurna Pictures

Studio: Annapurna Pictures

To see a trailer for Vice, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g09a9laLh0k

If Beale Street Could Talk

Film Review by Kam Williams

Barry Jenkins Directs Faithful Adaptation of Beloved James Baldwin Classic

In 1974, James Baldwin published “If Beale Street Could Talk,” a love story, set in Harlem, about a beleaguered black couple's pursuit of the elusive American Dream. Many critics consider the heartrending novel Baldwin's best work, perhaps because of the way in which it humanizes an array of African-American characters ordinarily marginalized and relegated to the shadows of society. 

 

Now, Barry Jenkins, director of 2017's Oscar-winning Best Picture, Moonlight, has brought a faithful adaptation of the revered classic to the big screen. The poignant coming-of-age tale co-stars Kiki Layne as 19 year-old Tish Rivers and Stephan James as her 23 year-old fiance', Fonny Hunt.

At the point of departure, the star-crossed lovers are already behind the proverbial 8 Ball. Narrator Tish informs us that her beau, an aspiring sculptor, has recently been arrested for rape. Then, during a jailhouse visit, she lets him know through the frustrating glass partition that he's going to be a father.

Fonny takes the news of the pregnancy in stride, which is more than can be said for his family, especially his disapproving mother (Aunjanue Ellis) and sisters (Dominique Thorn and Ebony Obsidian). Fortunately, Tish's feisty mom, Sharon (Regina King), is up to the challenge of getting everybody to stop pointing fingers self-righteously in favor of focusing on the blessing of a baby that's coming.

Meanwhile, Fonny's impending trial looms large. For, despite an airtight alibi, he was ostensibly framed by a racist cop (Ed Skrein) capable of cavalierly framing a black man for a crime he didn't commit. 

 

Hope for justice rests with getting the alleged rape victim (Emily Rios) who fingered Fonny at the direction of Officer Bell to tell the truth. But she's moved to Puerto Rico, making the prospect of her recanting in court unlikely, unless Sharon is willing to go to extraordinary lengths in quest of exoneration.

All of the above unfolds in fascinating fashion against a variety of visually-captivating backdrops. Kudos to Barry Jenkins for crafting another compelling inner-city saga, and especially for coaxing a career performance out of Regina King, a shoo-in for an Oscar nomination.

Excellent (4 stars)

Rated R for profanity and sexuality

Running time: 117 minutes

Production Studio: Plan B Entertainment / Annapurna Pictures / PASTEL

Studio: Annapurna Pictures

To see a trailer for If Beale Street Could Talk, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4m3t3G3Zqc

Widows

Film Review by Kam Williams

The Windy City Serves as Setting for Adaptation of Brit Crime Series

Widows was a British TV series which enjoyed a two-year run from 1983 to 1985. Created by legendary English author Lynda La Plante (Prime Suspect), the popular crime show was nominated for a BAFTA award in the Best Television Drama category. In 2002, ABC turned Widows into a four-part miniseries starring Brooke Shields and Rosie Perez, but that substantially-revised overhaul failed to resonate with the American audience.

Now, Academy Award-winning director Steve McQueen (for 12 Years a Slave) has brought a much more faithful adaptation to the screen, although the setting has been shifted from London to Chicago. The crime caper revolves around a trio of widows who opt to follow in their late husbands' felonious footsteps in the wake of a botched bank heist.

McQueen assembled an A-list ensemble featuring Oscar-winners Viola Davis (for Fences) and Robert Duvall (for Tender Mercies), as well as nominees Liam Neeson (for Schindler's List), Daniel Kaluuya (for Get Out) and Jacki Weaver (for Silver Linings Playbook and Animal Kingdom). The impressive cast also includes Colin Farrell and Michelle Rodriguez.

Not long past the point of departure, veteran bank robber Harry Rawlings (Neeson) masterminds a robbery in which he and his partners perish. Trouble is, Harry died indebted to a couple of South Side mobsters (Kaluuya and Brian Tyree Henry) to the tune of $2 million. 

Given a month to come up with cash (or else), Harry's widow Veronica (Davis) hatches a plan to raise the money by burglarizing a safe in the mansion of a well-connected family headed by corrupt, Windy City Alderman Tom Mulligan (Duvall). To that end, she recruits a couple of the other grieving widows (Michelle Rodriguez and Elizabeth Debicki) and a getaway driver (Cynthia Erivo) with promises of a multimillion-dollar payday.

The plot proceeds to thicken in convincing fashion while touching on such timely themes as politics, loyalty, race and class. Since it would be a crime in itself to spoil the ensuing developments even one iota, suffice to say McQueen slowly ratchets up the tension in a searing, multi-layered suspense thriller not to be missed.

With the help of a delicious script expertly executed by a coterie of her talented co-stars, the incomparable Ms. Davis steals the show and delivers yet another Oscar-quality performance. Vintage Viola!

Excellent (4 stars)

Rated R for violence, sexuality, nudity and pervasive profanity

In English and Spanish with subtitles

Running time: 129 minutes

Production Studios: Regency Enterprises / Film4 / See-Saw Films / New Regency Pictures

Studio: 20^th Century Fox

To see a trailer for Widows, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nN2yBBSRC78

Green Book

Film Review by Kam Williams

Black Pianist Tours Segregated South with White Chauffeur in Road Trip Dramedy

Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali) was a promising prodigy whose formal training in classical piano began when he was admitted to Russia's prestigious Leningrad Conservatory at the age of 9. Because he had the misfortune of being raised in Florida in the Jim Crow Era, it was very unlikely that his extraordinary talent would be appreciated anywhere in the South upon his return to the States.

The North was decidedly different. While still in his teens, Don was invited by conductor Arthur Fielder to perform with the Boston Pops Orchestra. He would later compose symphonies for the New York Philharmonic and was even allowed to rent an apartment above Carnegie Hall. 

 

In the early Sixties, Don decided to throw caution to the wind by embarking on an eight-week concert tour across the Deep South. This would involve playing numerous “white only” venues where, despite being the headliner, he might not be able to dine or use the restroom.

As far as finding a place to stay, he would turn to the Green Book, a priceless guide for African-Americans in need of public accommodations across the segregated South. And to make sure he kept out of trouble on the road, he hired Tony Lip Vallelonga (Viggo Mortensen), a blue-collar bouncer from the Bronx.

Thus unfolds Green Book, a fact-based buddy flick revisiting the unlikely friendship forged between a stuffy classical artist and his rough-edged driver in the face of their racial and class differences. The movie represents a bit of a departure for director Peter Farrelly, whose name has long been associated with lowbrow comedies like Dumb and Dumber, Shallow Hal and There's Something about Mary.

The relatively-sophisticated Green Book proves to be far more reminiscent of Driving Miss Daisy (1989) than of Farrelly's earlier bottom-feeding fare. In fact, the palpable chemistry generated by co-stars Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen will not be forgotten by the Academy come Oscar season.

A touching biopic with a timely universal message about brotherhood and tolerance.

Excellent (4 stars)

Rated PG-13 for violence, mature themes, profanity, racial slurs, smoking and suggestive material

Running time: 130 minutes

Production Studio: Dreamworks Pictures / Amblin Partners / Innisfree Pictures / Wessler Entertainment / Participant Media /Conundrum Entertainment / Cinetic Media

Studio: Universal Pictures

To see a trailer for Green Book, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkZxoko_HC0