Harriet

Cynthia Erivo commands the screen.  You believe that she is Harriet Tubman nee Minty, who wouldn’t rest until all of her people were free.  History is unfolded and this visual representation of what it means to be free and uphold the rights of human beings, is a compelling look into the change Ms Tubman made by her beliefs, her determination, and her compassion for others.  Ms Erivo is a singer, songwriter, and actress and is well on her way to being considered as Best Actress in all of the upcoming contests, and will more than likely be considered for best song.  The story seems larger than life, but it’s not a story, it’s a reenactment of what occurred in the 1800’s before and during the Civil War.  Direction is stellar and the entire cast provides a peek into history and it’s profound effect on abolishing slavery and the future of civil rights.  Bravo. 4 big stars.

Parasite

Unless you’ve been living under a rock or you just don’t care about anything to do with the entertainment business, you probably know that Parasite took two major awards at this year’s Academy Awards Ceremony.  They won Best International Film and Best Picture for 2019.  First time ever in 92 years.  That could have happened last year with Roma, however, they were one best award shy.  Personally, that’s okay with me.  I enjoyed this much more than Roma, although I speak only a tiny amount of Spanish, and absolutely no Korean.  The basic premise…the Kim family is poor, living hand-to-mouth, the Park family is affluent.  A chance encounter by the Kim’s son with a former school chum connects the two families, although there are several complications, secrets, and downright lies that keep the Parks from connecting the dots.  Deftly orchestrated, near misses abound and the twists and turns keep you on the edge of your seat.  Rating:  ooo - - ooo- o- o-o ooo   (check your Morse Code)

The Farewell

It's been a long time, a year and a half to be exact and my trigger finger is itching, not to mention my eyes.  I had eye surgery in June and dealing with a lot of death over the past year.  Death and how to  deal with the impending passing of a loved one is the subject of this review.  In this case, we have Billi (portrayed by Awkwafina) who learns of her grandmother's terminal illness.  Nai Nai (grandma) is in China, Billi and her mother and father live in New York.  The family has been told that Nai Nai has about three weeks to live, but she doesn't know it and everyone is expected to keep her in the dark by coming to visit for a fake wedding (but it's really to say goodbye).  That's a problem because the family thinks that they can leave Billi out because she won't be able to keep the secret and will spill the beans by the look on her face.  She talks to Nai Nai all the time, loves her grandmother to the moon and back, and really does her best to keep the secret.  It's a gently funny comedy dealing with family perceptions that are skewed by time and distance.  I've said it once and I'll say it again, if you want to make God laugh, tell 'em your plans.  This is a true story based on a lie, only the names have been changed to protect the innocent.  Great cast, wonderful soundtrack, see the real China, not a reasonable facsimile.  Enjoy a hot cup of tea, bad karaoke, odd fashion and interior design.  Rating:  I see an Independent Spirit Award or two or three in The Farewell's future.     

Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle

Before this was released nationwide, I, personally, had some trepidations about how this would transition from a movie about a board game come to life to something that the future generations would relate to since everyone has their noses buried deep in their phones.  Robin Williams, of course, wouldn’t be a part of this reboot, and the humor has been shifted to more mature themes.  Still, we’re talking about high schoolers who have to deal with some very dangerous situations.  Although you may not recognize some of the actors, if I told you that “the girl” is Nebula from Guardians of the Galaxy I and II and Amy from Doctor Who, does that help?  Nice to see her, Karen Gillan, not bald and with much less make-up.  Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Kevin Hart, and Jack Black round out the players and we have some references to Alan Parrish (rest in peace Robin), VanPelt, and instead of moving around the board, well, you’ll just have to check it out.  There are some elements that seem a bit reminiscent of The Hunger Games, but with a lot more tongue-in-cheekiness.  If I was a game designer and you told me this is what you wanted the results to be, I could totally understand that, but I’d also give the characters a chance to start over, different ways to get from point A to point B and so on and so on.  Overall, much, much, much better than I could have imagined and, although I’m not huge Guns and Roses fan, Axl Rose singing Welcome To The Jungle is the perfect cherry on top of this exploding cake of a film.  Rating:  hippos and jaguars and crocodiles, oh my, pecs that could crush walnuts, a mix tape of songs of the ‘90’s—best line ever…why am I not Instagramming this right now?  (3.88 stars)

Thor: Ragnarok

Trying to figure out how to write a review that encompasses the film Thor:  Ragnarok as a drinking game.  Key words:  Loki, Asgaard (or a reasonable facsimile of), Son of Odin, Thor, God of Thunder (or a reasonable facsimile of)/Hela, Goddess of Death, and Hulk Smash, Valkyrie, Grandmaster, and Melty Stick.  Everything works and sets the ground work for the next episode…these are plain and simple comic books come to life.  There’s snarky dialogue, over the top fights, sparks fly and depending on how you look at it, that’s a good thing.  If I had to pick my favorite Marvel Comics hero, my Norwegian ancestry points me in the direction of Thor Odinson, God of Thunder.  Chris Hemsworth is the ideal choice.  He’s epitomizes the Norse god to a “T”, hair, bod for battle, non-descript age, beyond belief chutzpah, only thing that’s always seemed funny to me is the accents.  None are even close to Scandinavian or even hint in that direction, but that’s just me…I was the same way with the How to Train Your Dragon films.  This is the most un-bloody (except for a spontaneous bit with the Grandmaster involving his cousin) fun, gotta kill them all film that kept me entertained pretty much throughout.  At the very least it was good enough to make me want to see it more than once or twice and learn all the lines, which, after about a dozen more times, I’ll be able to quote similar to Rocky Horror, unless, of course, the drinking game is pursued and I’ll get as smashed as Valkyrie.  Also, keep an eye out for Matt Damon, who makes a cameo and it’s really funny (but only if you’ve seen the film Dogma).  The soundtrack kicks butt, just like this unlikely group of heroes.  Rating:  an everlasting fire, holograms for days, not “get help” again, where’d you get that haircut? aka 3.87 stars

The Shape of Water

Water seems to be a major part of my life lately…can’t seem to escape dealing with it in one form or another, whether it’s a bill, a tenant’s concerns, or in this case a Merman and a mute cleaning woman in 1962 Baltimore.  The war is cold, prejudices are plainly clear…better dead than Red.  If it’s different, definitely kill it and take it apart, but don’t keep an open mind or by God you’ll end up growing a tail.  It is and it isn’t easy to pigeonhole this love story/science fiction double feature, Doctor X has discovered (not built) a creature.  Beautifully filmed, scored, and written to help you root for the good guys, which, if you look at this from the standpoint of the military/politicos, it’s sort of like the last year and two months in the same general vicinity as Baltimore.  So, my suggestion would be, watch The Creature From The Black Lagoon (it was the inspiration for Guillermo del Toro’s screenplay) and be prepared because this is the R rated version and the monster is not who you think.  No matter who wins the Oscar for any of this film’s 13 nominations, they’re all well-deserved and personally, I’d say Michael Shannon and Doug Jones were robbed.  Both give A+ performances.  Rating:  don’t play with the kitties, hard or softboiled?, what a bloody mess, we get along swimmingly (4 starfish)

Lady Bird

Girls at 16 are pretty much walking, talking balls of hormones; likewise, boys of the same age.  Here we have Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson who attends a Catholic girls school, says she’s from the wrong side of the tracks, and is aching to break free from Sacramento as soon and as far away as possible.  Been there (Seattle), done that (moved to San Diego), except for the Catholic school up-bringing.  Unfortunately, Lady Bird is not rich, a genius, nor are her parents, which limits her options for getting out of Dodge and attending an Ivy League school.  She’s sort of stumbling through her senior year.  New relationships in her life are teetering on experimental as she plots her way to something that will fulfill her magazine fantasies.  Lady Bird’s mother is stuck between a rock and hard place with how to deal with her which is sort of surprising because the apple really hasn’t fallen far from the tree.  I’m not a mother, but I am a daughter, and have first-hand knowledge of how this works.  First, you put your fingers in your ears, close your eyes, and make mistake after mistake blaming it on your circumstances and your lack of participation, rather than your choices which, if you listened to your mother, might have worked out differently because your mother, like it or not, has probably experienced exactly what you’re dealing with emotionally many, many years before you were even an idea.  Funny how that works.  Anyway, this is Greta Gerwig’s directorial debut and it’s a doozy.  Saoirse Ronan and Laura Metcalf are stellar as daughter and mother, with a supporting cast that compliments their emotional tug o’war to a tee.  Rating:  (4 hail Mary's) a container of non-consecrated wafers, a pack of clove cigarettes, best prom ever, and a trip or two to the thrift store .