If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)

Director: Barry Jenkins. Cast: KiKi Layne, Stephan James, Regina King, Diego Luna, Pedro Pascal, Dave Franco. 119 min. Rated R. Drama/Romance.

I was never impressed by Moonlight, but watching Jenkins' latest, everything started to fall into place. The idea of using a slow rhythm, a very slow rhythm, to project pure emotions. Not only love. Any emotion. Look at If Beale Street Could Talk through that lens, and suddenly everything makes sense: a young couple in love could be any couple; not a couple defined by their skin color. And that's what makes the cruelty of racism that's unleashed upon them, so disturbing. You're forced to contemplate: what if a white couple was treated exactly the same way? Intrusive film.

Mo says:

Vice (2018)

Director: Adam McKay. Cast: Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Steve Carell, Sam Rockwell, Eddie Marsan, Jesse Plemons, Bill Camp, Lily Rabe, Tyler Perry. 132 min. Rated R. Biography/Comedy.

We already knew Dick Cheney was an historically despicable entity. So when you make a movie about a despicable concept, you better make him interesting - not just something as abhorrent as expected. Otherwise, you're just displaying your inner masochism. Undoubtedly, the viewer will be blown away on how closely Bale, Carell and Rockwell resemble Cheney, Rumsfeld and Bush, respectively, but there's nothing conceptually interesting in their resemblance. And Cheney breaking the fourth wall at the end to talk to us, as supposed proof on the movie's fair approach, only adds to confusion on the director's stance on the subject.

Mo says:

Green Book (2018)

Director: Peter Farrelly. Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali, Linda Cardellini. 130 min. Rated PG-13. Biography/Drama.

This film will be accused of sentimentality, or even being "charming". Or being merely a road movie about the oddest of odd couples ... like all road movies. But the story of a racist Italian-American working as the chauffeur of an African-American classical pianist on a concert tour in the Deep South, is a movie brave enough to instigate difficult conversations - thanks to its superb screenplay, showing an impossible relationship confronting racist situation after racist situation after racist situation. Mortensen and Ali's unforgettable acting aside, you'll fall in love with the two characters, and want to watch them interacting forever.

- “Dignity always prevails.”

Mo says:

MoMagic!

Bad Times at the El Royale (2018)

Director: Drew Goddard. Cast: Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo, Dakota Johnson, Jon Hamm, Chris Hemsworth. 141 min. Rated R. Crime.

What's worse than a Tarantino wannabe ... is a weak Tarantino wannabe. With all its overlapping timelines, its big budget and big stars notwithstanding, this is the movie that Tarantino wouldn't have made even as a student project. What makes Tarantino special, is the mesmerizing dialogue that flows out of his characters, not gimmicky timeline games - and this movie lacks that dialogue entirely. Not even the violence here is "fun" the way Tarantino does it. I am so enticed to give this a NoMo. You know what? I will.

Mo says:

The Favourite (2018)

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos. Cast: Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz, Nicholas Hoult. 119 min. Rated R. Ireland/UK/USA. Comedy/Drama.

Two women compete for the attention of their queen. This 18th century British royal dramedy has all the familiar elements of a Yorgos Lanthimos (Dogtooth, The Lobster) film: comically grotesque characters, self-inflicted injuries, and a strong presence of animals. And there are a few laughs in between, but ... I just started looking at my watch way too early. Critics are hailing this as one of the best (or the best) movie of the year, and I'm sure it'll snatch a few Oscars - but you'll walk out of the theater, wondering: which planet are these critics living on?

Mo says:

Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018)

Director(s): Phil Johnston, Rich Moore. Voices: John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Gal Gadot, Taraji P. Henson, Jane Lynch, Alan Tudyk, Alfred Molina, Ed O'Neill. 112 min. Rated PG. Animation.

Interesting how on both Wreck-It Ralph movies, I started out with low expectations, but on both was terrifically surprised by the end - more so on this sequel. With Ralph and Vanellope leaving the arcade and entering the internet, showing us an artist's animated rendition of a different world (à la Inside Out), there are a few minor messages for minors about surfing the internet and ignoring trolls, but one huge message about friendship, dealing with insecurities in a relationship, and ... having the ability to let go. That, will fly right over the kids heads.

Mo says:

The Old Man & the Gun (2018)

Director: David Lowery. Cast: Robert Redford, Sissy Spacek, Casey Affleck, Danny Glover, Tom Waits. 93 min. Rated PG-13.  Comedy/Crime.

Redford's (reportedly) last acting credit, is a satire on his entire career. An old bank-robber, a gentleman with a heart of gold, keeps on robbing banks and breaking out of prison, just for the adrenaline rush. Because if you don't live your life, what's it worth? Even the opening credits title font is the same as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The film does have its moments, glimpsing into old age, lingering on missing the chance of doing what you always really wanted to do. But if this is truly the walking legend's last act, I'm somewhat disappointed.

- Favorite line, voiced by the Sissy Spacek character:

"You can kinda lose track of yourself, you know? At least I did. And it's so easy to assume everything's fine and this is fine and this is the way things are supposed to be. You spend so much time thinking you're happy and one day you wake up and you realize, oh, ... maybe you aren't? Maybe you never were in the first place. Maybe you don't even know what that means. And then something happens, like, you lose someone or, even your kids grow up and leave home and you think ... what do I have left? Yeah, I'll miss him, there'll always be a part of me that will. But now, I think, ... now it's okay to be selfish."

Mo says:

Bird Box (2018)

Director: Susanne Bier. Cast: Sandra Bullock, Trevante Rhodes, John Malkovich, Sarah Paulson, Jacki Weaver, Tom Hollander. 124 min. Rated R. Sci-fi/Horror.

Unspecified entity causes people to commit suicide when they see it, leading to a post-apocalyptic world where they walk around blindfolded. The corollaries to the other 2018 sci-fi/horror, A Quiet Place, are undeniable: that movie had an auditory ban at its center, this one is visual. But that film was so gripping, you wised up to its discrepancies after it was over; with Bird Box, the plot doesn't make sense as you're watching it. Reason? The movie's long duration provides ample time to assess its logic (or lack thereof). Maybe it's intentionally confusing to make room for a sequel.

PS: Available on Netflix.

Mo says:

Roma (2018)

Director: Alfonso Cuarón. Cast: Yalitza Aparicio, Marina de Tavira, Diego Cortina Autrey. 135 min. Rated R. Mexico/USA. Drama.

The story of a maid (has anyone ever checked how she's doing?), in an affluent family, in Mexico. Pan shots (lots of pan shots) show this young maid, how she holds the family together, but is always in the corner, always in the background, without anybody acknowledging her existence, her qualms, her fight for survival. Alfonso Cuarón's most recent masterpiece (Gravity, Children of Men) had numerous moments that kept me thinking for days - culminating in an unbelievable beach sequence that defies you to hold back tears. Are we having a Mexican sweep at the Oscars again this year?

PS: Available on Netflix. Don't miss it.

Mo says:

MoMagic!

Cold War (Zimna wojna) (2018)

Director: Pawel Pawlikowski. Cast: Joanna Kulig, Tomasz Kot. 88 min. Rated R. Poland/UK/France. Drama/Romance.

A music instructor and a fledgling singer meet in post-War Poland, and continue following each other, impossibly, from country to country to country. By the director of Ida, the strongest component here is the same that made the Oscar-winning Ida memorable: the deep, stark black-and-white photography (not even cinematography; the still images here are photography). And while the story has merits on its own, it would be difficult for me to grant a high score to a movie exactly for the same reason a filmmaker (in my worldview) scored on his prior endeavor. Hence ... the SoSo.

Mo says:

I Killed My Mother (J'ai tué ma mère) (2009)

Director: Xavier Dolan. Cast: Anne Dorval, Xavier Dolan, François Arnaud. 96 min. Not Rated. Canada. Drama.

Dolan stars in his semi-autobiographical directorial debut, a movie about a concept he later perfected in Mommy: his love-hate relationship with his mother. The curious element is the film's title - if he'd truly killed his mother, this couldn't have been made, right? But the astonishing aspect, is how a 20-year-old newcomer incorporated stellar acting, wise camera angles and editing, and a perfect soundtrack, into a mature, professional film that rivals the career of many old-timers. Watch this and feel guilty about what you were doing when you were 20 years old.

PS: Thanks for the recommendation, Atoosa! Made me want to seek out Dolan's more recent Cannes winner, It's Only the End of the World.

Mo says:

Aquaman (2018)

Director: James Wan. Cast: Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Patrick Wilson, Nicole Kidman, Dolph Lundgren, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Temuera Morrison. 143 min. Rated PG-13. Australia/USA. Fantasy/Action.


DO NOT WATCH THIS ON A SMALL SCREEN.

The larger the screen, the better. IMAX is ideal.

That's all I'll say, because that's what this movie is all about.

Mo says: