Mid90s (2018) (****1/2)

Jonah Hill's directorial debut has a spark of magic that reminded me of some of my all-time favorite movies. "Mid90s" is what it is: a small 4:3 aspect ratio movie about a bunch of skateboarding kids doing not a whole lot and saying even less. Still, I was engrossed with the experience. "Mid90s" was released earlier last year but only recently made its way into my queue. Call it laziness or stress on my part. Nevertheless, I still count myself lucky to finally give it a shot.

The film follows Stevie, played by Sunny Suljic (a young actor I only remember from "Killing of a Sacred Deer"), a young boy who lives with his punk brother and their single mother. Where their house is in disarray, Stevie finds solace in joining ranks with a handful of skaters who hang out downtown and base out of a small board shop. They have nicknames like "Fuckshit" and "Fourth Grade" and quickly dub Stevie "Sunburn." Who knows if Stevie loves the concept of skating, but we do see how clearly he wants to be included in something... Anything. He practices on a used board in his backyard, sneaks over fences to ride on school playgrounds, and live out a carefree summer the way you might expect kids to do.

Stevie's older brother, Ian, is played by an unrecognizable Lucas Hedges (who dyes his hair brown and has packed on some muscles to become more intimidating). From the first scene we see they do not get along. Later in the film we might come to see Ian with new light. Where at first Ian is a punk who we see as a nuisance, by the end he is transformed into a person with real insight and real protection for his brother. From "Boy Erased" to the less-than-stellar "Ben Is Back," Hedges has really carved himself into 2018, and maybe this small performance is nonetheless his highpoint.

I loved this movie in the way it shows Stevie utterly washed over in this new world the way a movie like "Almost Famous" dropped William Miller into a world of sex, drugs, and rock and roll. We see Suljic smile and smile, and with each new scene I couldn't help but smile along with him. Is there much plot? No, but I love the way Jonah Hill'c camera remains so still and these boys move in and out of frame. I love how one moment filled me with nostalgia and the next had me brimming with anxiety, especially considering I was neither a skateboarder or much of a "rebel" as a kid. Even the film mimics the style of some grunge film made on a budget, with a tight "square" format and film complete with imperfections and scratches. This isn't a groundbreaking directing/writing debut, but Hill shows he's more than worthy of branching out in the world of film. First as an actor and now as a storyteller, I am continually amazed at the skill of Jonah Hill.

The film concludes on such a miserable note that I felt compelled to deduct from its final score. For a movie so free-flowing, there's a climax that hits like a brick and then kind of ends. We as an audience (at least myself personally) feel so cheated that Stevie and his mother don't have one more scene, or that Ian is left mostly unexplained as a fully-realized character. This movie shows us the serious consequences of hanging with the wrong crowd at an early age, but in the end I wonder if Jonah Hill only wanted to end with "well that's all, folks." The story concludes with a page out of the movie "Rent" which I shudder even saying out loud, with a group of friends, a tv, and some home videos. What happens next? I understand that sometimes questions are left up to the viewer, but with so much at stake it almost makes the film feel incomplete. I just wanted more. Well, maybe that's a sign that it did something right...

State of the Oscar race & nominations predictions...

It's a curious race so far. With the Golden Globes just mixing the pot even more this past weekend, the frontrunners are surprisingly weak and the possibilities for upsets are growing by the day. Oscar nominations will be announced January 22nd... We just heard from BAFTA, we know PGA (Producer's Guild) nominations, DGA (director's guild)... A lot is coming into focus. Let's break down the top races right now.


BEST PICTURE

The mighty "Star Is Born" is making for a weak showing, picking up only one Golden Globe (Song) when it was expected to sweep with 4 or 5. "Green Book" picked up Comedy in an unsurprising win, and "Bohemian Rhapsody" continues to raise eyebrows with the razor sharp divide between critical distain and it's gushing fans. Think larger picture: the last time a Best Picture missed out on a DGA nomination was 1989 when "Driving Miss Daisy" was omitted from that year's lineup... This doesn't bode well for "The Favourite." When looking at all the tea leaves, though, it still seems like "Star Is Born" is ahead for now. With 10 potential nominees, the line-up is looking solidified as:

1. A Star Is Born
2. Roma
3. Green Book
4. Vice
5. BlacKkKlansman
6. The Favourite
7. Black Panther
8. Bohemian Rhapsody
9. If Beale Street Could Talk
10. A Quiet Place (look, this is probably unlikely, but the PGA nomination certainly helped... Plus, there hasn't been a year in which 10 films were nominated since 2010 before nominating rules changed... We might have as few as 5 nominees this year, for all we know...)


BEST DIRECTOR

You need to look no further than the DGA lineup to make these predictions. With the Golden Globe (and virtually every critic's prize) going to Cuaron, "Roma" seems to have this locked up. In recent years, Picture & Director have split... It seems certain to do it again this year, unless the Academy will honestly evaluate this race and reward a foreign, black & white, subtitled, Netflix movie the top honor... I suppose it could happen.

1. Alfonso Cuaron, "Roma"
2. Bradley Cooper, "A Star Is Born"
3. Spike Lee, "BlacKkKlansman"
4. Yorgos Lanthimos, "The Favourite" (snubbed by DGA, but this film is bound to be one of the most nominated)
5. Peter Farrelly, "Green Book" (this would omit Adam McKay for "Vice," a movie that is growing more and more polarizing each day... "Green Book" is not without its controversies, but the transition from comedy to drama for Farrelly doesn't hurt his chances)


BEST ACTOR

While I would argue that both Viggo Mortensen & Bradley Cooper give the year's best male performances by a mile, it's really obvious to almost guarantee the winner this early in the race. I was right to bet on Rami Malek at my Golden Globe party. No matter how much people dislike "Bohemian," virtually everyone will champion Malek's performance. It's a real life person, its a transformation, he's gay... I can feel the stars aligning here. Mark my words.

1. Rami Malek, "Bohemian Rhapsody"
2. Bradley Cooper, "A Star Is Born"
3. Viggo Mortensen, "Green Book"
4. Christian Bale, "Vice"
5. Ethan Hawke, "First Reformed" (he's shown up in very few races so far, and a more logical choice is John David Washington in "Klansman" despite an incredibly forgettable performance (Washington got both Globes & SAG mentions. Hawke is the outsider Indie pick. Plus it's a showier role. Look out for this fifth slot!)


BEST ACTRESS

The toughest race of the year without question. A 3-way race with each woman a front-runner in her own way. Glenn Close, winning the Globe in a stunning upset, gave an impassioned speech that will make voters ask why she has never won an Oscar (and on nomination #7). Gaga is the breakthrough of the year. Olivia Colman (also won the Globe) gives the flashiest performance and in a year minus Glenn Close would win in a cakewalk. So this is the question: will voters go for the deserving veteran or the performance with the best acting? Either way, I think Gaga is going to be happy to finish a second-runner up.

1. Olivia Colman, "The Favourite" (yes I'm partial, but sometimes big Oscar losers (Peter O'Toole, Richard Burton) are no less great for never having won. When an Academy voter sits down and watches "the Wife" and "The Favourite," it seems virtually impossible for this caliber of role to be ignored)
2. Glenn Close, "The Wife" (on second thought, can't we have another tie??)
3. Lady Gaga, "A Star Is Born"
4. Emily Blunt, "Mary Poppins Returns"
5. Yalitza Aparicio, "Roma" (again, a long shot, but Melissa McCarthy's year was also flanked with some awful films, and the Academy isn't one to shy away from punishing actors for poor decisions.... If "Roma" is going to strike big, this is the place it will happen)


BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Poor Timothee Chalamet is going to go another year as a bridesmaid... There's growing support for Mahershala Ali, especially after his Globe win. I think it's clear the front-runner is another veteran actor who is scene-stealing in every way. Oscar voters tend to reward older actors in only this category. It's close, but I think Richard E Grant is in a very good place.

1. Richard E Grant, "Can You Ever Forgive Me"
2. Mahershala Ali, "Green Book"
3. Timothee Chalamet, "Beautiful Boy"
4. Sam Elliott, "A Star Is Born"
5. Adam Driver, "BlacKkKlansman" (a performance that I truly didn't even remember after seeing the film, making his consistency this season all the more puzzling... If I could pick, why not Steve Carell for "Vice," Michael B Jordan for "Black Panther," or even Russell Crowe for "Boy Erased?" There's always hope for an upset)


BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Regina King was the presumed front-runner early on who was predicted to sweep through the season unmatched... Then she was snubbed by SAG (a feat only Marsha Gay Harden & Christoph Waltz have managed to overcome to win Oscar since SAG began) and BAFTA... Her Golden Globe speech was powerful, but we need to start weighing other options. The last time a front-runner missed SAG & BAFTA nominations was Sylvester Stallone for "Creed." He was still the favorite to win up until Mark Rylance heard his name announced from the envelope... When peer groups snub an actor, it's a telling sign.

1. Amy Adams, "Vice"
2. Rachel Weisz, "The Favourite"
3. Regina King, "If Beale Street Could Talk"
4. Emma Stone, "The Favourite"
5. Margot Robbie, "Mary Queen of Scots" (this is a long-shot, though she did get in at SAG & BAFTA... Other possibilities include Claire Foy for "First Man," Nicole Kidman for "Boy Erased," or even Maria de Tavira for "Roma." Heck, can we even wish for a Tilda Swinton upset for "Suspiria?")


More to come! (Critics Choice Awards are this Sunday, January 13th... Another ceremony that has occasionally shed light on front-runners at the Oscars)

Mary Poppins Returns (****)

It's been really difficult to approach this review. On one hand, the original 1964 film remains a Disney classic, full of some of the catchiest songs in on-screen musical history. We also have Julie Andrews in her debut role, a performance that upon repeat viewings shows an immense presence and comic timing. Rob Marshall had a lot in his way, but surprisingly MARY POPPINS RETURNS hits nearly dead on: a great family movie with some great numbers.

Emily Blunt steps into the heels of the iconic character, and I really can't imagine another actress today who would even be considered. This new Mary Poppins is a bit more rough around the edges, has a more distinct pitch to her voice, and definitely wouldn't be a lot of children's choice as babysitter if pitted against Julie Andrews. Still, she is admirable in the way the role has evolved. It's 20 or 30 years after the Banks family went to fly a kite, and justly Mary returns just in time to save the day again.

Mr Banks (Michael, Ben Whishaw) has now grown up, raised 3 kids, and lost his wife... Oh and he is about to go broke and lose his house. His sister, Jane (Emily Mortimer) is a labor union protester (though no catchy song a-la "Sister Suffragette") who helps around the house and this and that. The children are largely independent, off on their own adventures in the park in an attempt to stay out of their father's hair. Did I mention he works at Fidelity Fiduciary Bank?

In swoops Mary Poppins, sharp as a tack and with a mission to "help the Banks family, children included." What follows is a plot that quite literally recreates the original beat for beat. It might be considered a reboot were they not the same characters from before. Everything from a tidying up song (this time in a bathtub) to a scene in which Mary and the kids go to visit a recluse who dances on the ceiling. I was a bit astounded to see the script so liberally lift from the original. Heck, they even included a chimney sweep song complete with elaborate choreography, though this time they're lamplighters.

I'm telling you that the stars of the movie are Marc Shaiman, who does the film's score, Scott Whitman as the lyricist. What they achieve has got to be one of the great modern musical film scores. The entracte opens the film with nostalgia for classic Broadway around the time of the original's debut, and the songs are individually catchy and certainly "hummable." More so than La La Land, I think this might be the new standard in terms of original musicals that Hollywood has put out in recent years. The actors, all doing their own singing (I believe) flesh out the scenes and deliver one great number after the next. Even Blunt's alto range suits the story and rarely makes its audience long for the clarity of Miss Andrews original voice.

I can't praise the film more due to it's incessant cling on the original. Like so many reboots recently, this film falls victim to an over saturation of nostalgia as opposed to real creativity. Instead of showing us something new, the filmmakers say "remember this? remember that??" We get it. For a large studio to take a gamble on a remake, it seems like nowadays the story needs to show us the familiar. It's too bad that so much of the story suffers as a result.