Rosy the Reviewer Weighs in on Some Good Sports Movies: Who Knew?

 [I review the sports films "Ferrari," "Air" and "Nyad"]

It's a well-known fact, in my family at least, that I am not a sports gal.  I have paid my dues watching my kids and grandkids compete, but I am not known to keep sports stats or even make it through an entire TV football game.  But a good movie is a good movie, no matter what the subject matter, and these are some good movies.  And in a time when movies seem to be trying to appeal to young people with super heroes and horror, it's refreshing to see movies that appeal to adults. These films honor superheroes of a special kind.

Ferrari (2023)

It's 1957 and not only is Enzo Ferrari's business in trouble, his personal life is also a mess.

Enzo Ferrari (Adam Driver) started his successful car company in 1947, but now it's the summer of 1957, and his company is floundering. He has been too focused on sports cars and speed and not manufacturing enough cars for us common folk, er well, common rich folks. He is faced with merging with another company to keep his business afloat. 

But Ferrari's company woes are not the only problems he faces.  He lives with his wife, Laura (Penelope Cruz), but let's just say they don't get along.  In fact, early in the movie she pulls a gun on him.  They are both mourning the death of their only son and heir, Dino, and Enzo spends most of his time with his mistress, Lina Lardi (Shailene Woodley), and the son they have together, Piero (Giuseppe Festinese).  Lina is pressuring Enzo to legitimize Piero and give him the Ferrari name, and Ferrari does need an heir, but there is a problem - his wife, Laura.

It also doesn't help that Laura owns half of the company and Enzo can't move ahead with business deals without her shares.  She demands a check for $500,000 which would bankrupt the company if she cashes it.  She also finds out about Lina and Piero.  Not good.

But despite all of that, Ferrari is concentrating on his racing team and the upcoming Mille Miglia, an open road 1000 miles endurance race.

With a screenplay by Troy Kennedy Martin (based on a biography by Brock Yates) and directed by Michael Mann, as one would expect, there is beautiful cinematography, some dizzying racing scenes and lots of car shop talk in the film that culminates in a horrifying crash that made me jump out of my seat.

Adam Driver plays Ferrari with a steely majesty as the man worshiped for his accomplishments in a post-WW II Italy, but to see Adam Driver with white hair and all padded up to look like the 59-year-old Ferrari, I couldn't help but wonder, why him?  Don't get me wrong, I am a fan, but I couldn't help but think someone like Robert DeNiro would have been a better pick.  When I said that to my movie-going companion, she said perhaps Driver's name would pull in the younger crowd, and I think she is right.  And he is good in the role, but I have to say, I was a bit distracted by the make-up and prosthetics. And I am not going to get into the debate about his Italian accent. On the other hand, Penelope Cruz, ten years older than Driver, looks right for her role as Laura, and though it's basically a one note part - bitter - she gets to show her acting chops. But, Shailene Woodley seems out of place in this film and doesn't have much to do.

I came from a car racing family.  Both my Dad and brother were into drag racing and the Indy 500.  For some reason, my Dad was not as interested in European cars or Formula 1.  He was an American car guy, but the thrills of car racing run the gamut and there are thrills to be found in this film, no matter what your car racing preference. I felt his presence watching this film.

Rosy the Reviewer says...a standard old school biopic that car racing fans and movie fans alike will enjoy. (In theatres)

Air (2023)

It's all about how Nike went from a company known for running shoes to inventing the Air Jordan basketball shoe.

Now that sounds like a big yawn of a film, right?  Well, you would be wrong, because this film is fast and fun and engrossing. "Moneyball" comes to mind.  How could coming up with a computer-generated analysis to figure out what players to hire for the Oakland A's make for a good movie?  Well, we know how that worked out, right? - six Oscar nominations and countless other awards later. And "Air" is in that same league.

In 1984, Oregon-based Nike, Inc. is not doing well selling basketball shoes and co-founder and CEO Phil Knight (Ben Affleck) is thinking about shutting that division down. Converse has 54% of the basketball shoe market and Adidas 29%.  Nike, with only 17% of the market, can't compete. But he wants to give it one more shot.

So Knight gives Nike's basketball talent scout, Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon), the task of finding a spokesperson for Nike basketball shoes.  That's not easy, though, because many of the upcoming NBA draft have already made it clear they prefer Adidas and Converse shoes. But Sonny Vaccaro is not daunted.  He may be a nerdy, Dad-bod, Members Only-wearing guy, but he has moxie and wants the 21-year-old, third draft pick, Michael Jordan, even though it looks like there is no way they can get him, partly because of the money and partly because Jordan likes Adidas.

But Sonny is not a shrinking violet. He goes straight to Michael's mother, Deloris (Viola Davis), and tells her what Nike would do for Michael, and in preparation for meeting with Michael's parents, Vaccaro asks designer Peter Moore (Matthew Maher) to come up with a prototype shoe that will lure Michael and his parents. Moore does that, and he names it "Air Jordan."  After some negotiating ups and downs that are fun to watch, and Deloris driving a hard bargain, we see how it all came down for Michael Jordan to go with Nike.  And yes, we all know how this turned out, but in case you didn't know the details, an epilogue shows that what Nike was hoping for that first year - three million in sales - went to $162 million!

Sports movies with lots of sports action can be fun and exciting but, like "Moneyball," sometimes it's what goes on behind the scenes that is the most fun and exciting. And even without basketball footage, this film delivers.

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck together again, with Ben acting and directing, showing us once again what a brilliant director he is.  As for the acting, Matt does most of the heavy lifting, but the ensemble cast of Jason Bateman, Chris Tucker, Chris Messina and others all do their part too. The screenplay by Alex Convery is fast-moving and snappy, lots of 1980's nostalgia, and it all adds up to a smart, delightful and satisfying film. And can I give a special shout-out to Chris Tucker?  No matter what he does he makes me laugh. And that's a good thing.  He is a special guy.  

And fun fact: who knew the "Just do it" advertising slogan came from what someone said when he was about to be executed.  See what you can learn from the movies?

Rosy the Reviewer says...this is one of those movies where you know how it ends, but it's the journey and it's an enjoyable one that even non-sports fans will love. (Amazon Prime) 

Nyad (2023)

The true story of swimmer, Diana Nyad, who at 64 was finally able to accomplish her dream of swimming the 110 miles from Cuba to Florida.

In 1978 at the age of 28, long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad (Annette Bening), whose name fittingly means water nymph, attempted to swim from Cuba to the Florida Keys without a shark cage, a distance of 110 miles and 60 hours in the water.  That try failed but 33 years later, she tried again, but an asthma attack scuppered that swim.  Her third and fourth attempts ended when she was stung by jellyfish and by the onslaught of bad weather, but finally her fifth attempt, at the age of 64, with the help of her best friend and coach, Bonnie Stoll (Jodie Foster) and boat captain and navigator, John Bartlett (Rhys Ifans), was successful, though there has been some controversy surrounding its authenticity.

Written by Julia Cox and directed by Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi (who also directed the Oscar-winning documentary "Free Solo"), this film is their first feature film, and it is all about that final swim and how Nyad got there, but it's also the story of a life-long friendship between Nyad and her coach and friend, Bonnie Stoll.  Jodie Foster and Annette Bening are a wonderful team.

We don't see Jodie Foster acting much these days, and in a recent interview, she said it has to be something special to get her to want to act anymore.  But this film is special, and she helps to make it so with her quiet, intense portrayal. But Annette gets the splashy role (sorry) as she embodies Nyad's huge ego and her "magnificent obsession," which I guess is what it takes to accomplish something really, really big.  Both Bening and Foster were nominated for Golden Globes, and I expect some Oscar nominations in their future. Speaking of Annette Bening - she is one of those actors who will give it all to her "art," and as beautiful as she is, doesn't shy away from looking like hell, which she often does in this film.  She also did all of her own swimming, saying that some days she was in the water for over 8 hours.

Bening and Foster are both wonderful actresses individually, but together they are electric and just wonderful together.  They tell a story of a strong friendship and you can tell it's a real life friendship because it just emanates from the screen.

Rosy the Reviewer says...a riveting true story of what it takes to achieve a life-long goal and the power of female friendship. (Netflix) 

Thanks for reading!

See you next time!

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to like it and share it on Facebook, Twitter, or other sites; email it to your friends and/or follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rosythereviewer 

And next time you are wondering whether or not to watch a particular film, check out my reviews on IMDB (The International Movie Database). Go to IMDB.com, find the movie you are interested in.  Scroll over to the right of the synopsis to where it says "Critic Reviews" - Click on that, and if I have reviewed that film, you will find Rosy the Reviewer alphabetically on the list (NOTE:  IMDB keeps moving stuff around so if you don't find "Critics Reviews" where I am sending you, look around.  It's worth it)!

Some Good Movies You Might Have Missed in 2023

[I review "Past Lives," "Fair Play," "Anatomy of a Fall" and "A Good Person"]

Past Lives (2023)

Two childhood friends reunite 20 years later.

Na Young (Greta Lee) and Hae Sung (Teo Yoo) are 12-year-old classmates living in South Korea.  They really, really like each other, so it's devastating when Na Young's parents decide to immigrate to Toronto. Fast forward 12 years. Na Young has changed her name to Nora Moon and moved to New York City, and Hae Sung has just finished his military service in South Korea. When Nora discovers on Facebook that Hae Sung is looking for her, they reconnect through video calls, talking at all hours, but eventually Nora tells Hae Sung that they should stop talking so she can focus on her writing and her life in New York. At a writer's retreat, Nora meets Arthur (John Magaro), and they fall in love and marry.  Meanwhile, Hae Sung meets a woman he likes. 

Fast forward another 12 years. Now Hae Sung has broken up with his girlfriend, and he and Nora are back in touch.  Hae Sung makes plans to visit Nora in New York to finally see her and meet Nora's husband.  This brings up all kinds of insecurities for Arthur.  Did Nora marry him for a green card? But he takes it all in stride. The three go out to dinner and, speaking in Korean, Hae Sung wonders what Nora and he might have been in past lives and what would have happened if she had never left South Korea. What will happen?  Will these two get together?

This is what could be affectionately called a "small film," but this little film has already garnered 39 awards and is nominated for a Best Picture Golden Globe nomination and one for Lee for Best Actress. It was also on People Magazine's Top Ten films of the year.  Speaking of Lee, fans of "The Morning Show" will recognize her as Stella Bak, but in this film, Nora is a real departure from Stella as Lee shows her softer side. The yearning between Nora and Hae Sung is palpable.

Written and directed by Celine Song, this is a film that will resonate with you long after it's over. The past lives that Hae Sung wonders about could be about reincarnation - don't we sometimes wonder if we have known people in past lives? - but this film is not just about that, but rather all of the "past lives" we have had in one lifetime.  In my lifetime, I have moved across country three times, moved away from the town where I lived for 30 years and raised my children and then moved back, all past lives.  And I still wonder what I had left behind each time and what would have happened if I had stayed. This is a love story, but also a story about immigration, about leaving behind one life to have a new and better life.

Think about your own past lives, the moves you have made, the lives and people you left behind.  What if you had stayed? 

Rosy the Reviewer says...a tender, bittersweet and profound "what if" tale that will stick with you. (Amazon - in English and Korean with English subtitles)

 

Fair Play (2023)

What happens when she gets the promotion he wants.

Emily Meyers (Phoebe Dynevor, who you will recognize from "Bridgerton") and Luke Edmunds (Alden Ehrenreich) both work at One Crest Capital, a hedge fund.  They are both financial analysts, equals at work, and they are also in a secret passionate relationship, secret because fraternization at work is frowned upon. Though they live together, they leave for work and arrive separately and keep it totally professional at work.  Luke proposes to Emily while at his brother's wedding, and she happily accepts. All is hunky dory until one of the portfolio managers is fired and Emily gets the promotion, even though there had been rumors it would go to Luke.  When Emily tells Luke, he is supportive...at first.  Well, you know how that works.

Slowly but surely Luke starts to feel resentful and tensions arise in their relationship. As Emily's star rises, Luke's starts to fall and it all goes to hell.

Written and directed by Chloe Domont, this is your classic case of what happens when the power dynamics in a relationship change and what can happen when a woman eclipses her lover, and let's just say that male fragility and misogyny ain't pretty. It's also about the cutthroat world of high finance and the sexism women face in that world. The screenplay is talky but sharp, and though much of it is the interaction between Emily and Luke, the film feels like a thriller as it leads up to the crazy ending.  Dynevor and Ehrenreich are just wonderful here, especially Dynevor who has now decidedly left the Regency world of "Bridgerton."

Rosy the Reviewer says...a riveting romantic thriller. (Netflix)

Anatomy of a Fall (2023)

Did he fall or was he pushed?

Novelist Sandra Voyter (Sandra Huller) and her husband, Samuel (Samuel Theis), live in an isolated mountain chalet near Grenoble.  Sandra is a successful novelist and is being interviewed by a female student when all of a sudden music starts to play so loudly that the interview is halted.  Samuel is up in the attic working and playing the music. When their visually impaired son, Daniel (Milo Machado Graner), returns from a walk with his guide dog, Snoop, he discovers Samuel dead below the attic window. What happened?

What follows is an intense search for the truth.  Did Samuel fall accidentally?  Was it suicide?  Or did Sandra push him?

Sandra asks for help from her lawyer friend, Vincent (Swann Arlaud).  She tells him that Samuel had attempted suicide six months earlier attempting to overdose on aspirin after he went off his antidepressants.  Daniel tells the police investigators conflicting stories and blood spatter and an audio recording of a fight between Samuel and Sandra lead to Sandra being indicted.

At the trial, the blood splatter testimony isn't good but the recording is damning.  In it, Samuel accuses Sandra of plagiarism, infidelity and trying to run his life, and it appears that violence occurs, though it is not clear who does what to whom. Sandra admits to having an affair with a woman the year before and the prosecution claims that Samuel was playing the loud music because Sandra was being interviewed by an attractive young woman and that a confrontation resulted after she left. Daniel asks to testify and this leads to some new revelations.

What is the truth?

Written by Justine Triet and Arthur Harari and directed by Triet, this is an anatomy of the fall of a marriage as much as an investigation into Samuel's physical fall as the trial progresses. The actors are wonderful, especially Huller.  Young Graner is also exceptional. For once a kid at the heart of the film that isn't obnoxiously precocious.

Winner of the Palme D'or for Best Film at the Cannes Film Festival, this is on many Best Movie lists for 2023, has already won many awards as well as a Golden Globe nomination for Best Picture, Non-English Language and a Best Actress nomination for Huller. It is a taut courtroom drama that tells the story of not just Samuel's fall but the fall of a marriage.

Rosy the Reviewer says...if you like your psychological dramas intense and complex, this is for you. (Amazon - In English and French with English subtitles)

A Good Person (2023)

Allison's life falls apart after a fatal accident.

Allison Johnson (Florence Pugh) is an aspiring musician, engaged to her high school boyfriend, Nathan (Chinaza Uche). The day following their engagement party, Allison causes an accident when she takes her eyes off the road to look at her phone while driving. She was on her way to look at wedding dresses with her soon-to-be sister-in-law, Molly (Nichelle Hines) and Molly's husband, Jesse (Toby Onwumere).  Molly and her husband are killed in the accident, but Allison survives with critical injuries. Sadly, when the physical injuries heal, the psychic injuries continue and affect two families.

One year later, dealing with severe depression and unable to deal with her guilt, Allison is living with her mother, Diane (Molly Shannon), and is addicted to the opioids prescribed for her injuries from the accident. Her prescription has run out and she is not doing well. Meanwhile, Nathan and Molly's ex-cop father, Daniel (Morgan Freeman), is taking care of his granddaughter, Ryan (Celeste O'Connor), who is still processing the loss of her parents. A recovering alcoholic, he is not doing very well either.

After bad experiences, Allison decides to attend AA where she runs into Daniel. Daniel has his own guilt over his drinking and the two forge a sort of relationship with Allison trying to help Ryan, who is not doing well in school and acting out.

Both Allison and Daniel relapse but both eventually come to terms with their lives in their own ways. Seeing how they do that is what will keep you engaged to the end.

Morgan Freeman really shows his acting chops in this film, especially in a scene in the AA meeting where he admits to his wrong-doing when drunk.  Very moving.  But this is Florence Pugh's movie.  She goes from happily in love to the absolute bottom and to quiet resolve and it's all shown on her expressive face. I could feel her emotions coming through the screen. She made me really root for Allison. Her performance is just wonderful and one that should be rewarded with an Oscar nomination. She is one of our best actresses today.

Written and directed by Zach Braff, there is a model train metaphor afoot in this film, model trains and villages acting as a sort of means of control over one's life.  You can set up your model village however you want, and your little figurines can live the life you never had. That is what Daniel has done, but in the end, he has accepted that in real life we can't really control what is going to happen. He accepts his life and teaches Allison to accept hers. Sometimes bad things happen to good people.

Rosy the Reviewer says...yes, it's all a bit grim but it's also inspiring, especially Pugh's performance. (Amazon)

Thanks for reading!

See you next time!

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to like it and share it on Facebook, Twitter, or other sites; email it to your friends and/or follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rosythereviewer 

And next time you are wondering whether or not to watch a particular film, check out my reviews on IMDB (The International Movie Database). Go to IMDB.com, find the movie you are interested in.  Scroll over to the right of the synopsis to where it says "Critic Reviews" - Click on that and if I have reviewed that film, you will find Rosy the Reviewer alphabetically on the list (NOTE:  IMDB keeps moving stuff around so if you don't find "Critics Reviews" where I am sending you, look around.  It's worth it)!

"Maestro" and The Week in Reviews

[I review "Maestro," the new Bradley Cooper biopic about Leonard Bernstein as well as "Pain Hustlers," an expose of some bad practices in the pharmaceutical industry, and Eddie Murphy's holiday film, "Candy Cane Lane"]

Maestro (2023)

Not just a biopic about conductor/composter Leonard Bernstein, it's also a complicated love story.

The film industry is strange right now.  Movies open in "limited release" in theatres, and then open big on streaming platforms like Netflix.  A good example is this film.  I kept waiting for it to show up in my town, because I have a standing date with a good friend to see movies in the theatre, but it never came.  But now here it is, only a few weeks after it's so-called limited release in the movie theatres, on Netflix.  I am not complaining.  Except for not seeing it with my friend, I could watch it in my jammies with a glass of wine. And I did.

Leonard Bernstein was an American conductor, composer, pianist, teacher, author and activist. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was the first American-born conductor to lead a major American symphony orchestra, the New York Philharmonic. He wrote music in many genres - classical pieces, scores for movies and Broadway shows, most notably the music for "West Side Story." He died in 1990, and despite his fame during the 50's,60's and beyond, I am wondering how many people of the younger generation even know who he is today.

But I am not a member of the younger generation, and I have personal memories of Bernstein. First as a little girl, when my mother wanted me to get out of her hair on a Saturday and go out and play, she would tell me, if I stayed inside, I couldn't watch cartoons, I would have to watch Bernstein's Young People's Concerts, a part educational show about music that included performances by the New York Philharmonic.  I went outside.  I was not a particularly sophisticated ten-year-old.  But when I was 12, I saw "West Side Story" and was obsessed with not just the film, but the music.  I bought the record and played it over and over and over.

So I couldn't wait to see this film.

It begins in color with Bernstein (Bradley Cooper) as an old man remembering his wife, Felicia Montealegre Cohn (Carey Mulligan), who had passed, and then the film switches to black and white with Bernstein as a young man getting his first break in 1943 as a conductor to fill in for conductor Bruno Walter at Carnegie Hall.  He was a success and his career took off. The film follows his career, his entanglements, meeting his wife and then the film switches back to color as Bernstein matures in the 60's and 70's.

However, this film is less a biopic and more of a love story and the story of a marriage.  It's as much about Bernstein's wife, Felicia, as it is about Bernstein and the personal journey they found themselves on.  Bernstein was a homosexual in a time when that was not accepted and many closeted men married and had families, especially those in the public eye. But that doesn't mean he didn't love his wife, Felicia.  He did. Though preferring men, Bernstein had affairs with both men and women.  He loved Felicia and they mostly stayed together until her death, though she knew of his desires for men and put up with dalliances taking place right in front of her.

Bradley Cooper is quite wonderful as Bernstein and, I say that as someone who was never particularly a big Cooper fan. Though named People Magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive" in 2011, I always thought he looked nerdie.  But nerdie or not, here he embodies Bernstein, and it's not just the prosthetics. And speaking of which, there was a big flap about those prosthetics. People were upset that he enlarged his nose because Bernstein was Jewish and Cooper was not.  I didn't find that distracting because Cooper really looked like Bernstein, and my feeling is that if Bernstein's family was not offended (and they supposedly were not), then get over it. But though Cooper was made to look like Bernstein, his embodiment of him wasn't just the make-up. Cooper had the mannerisms and voice cadence down, and he is spectacular in a scene where he conducts the orchestra in a Mahler symphony and captures Bernstein's dramatics, something he worked on for six years! It's a  tour de force performance and, I think, the apex of Cooper's acting career so far. That conducting scene is about as dramatic as you can get.

But like I said, this film is as much about Felicia as it is about Bernstein and Carey Mulligan is amazing as Felicia.  Just watch her eyes.  They tell Felicia's story as she goes from love struck wife to one who has to accept her husband's desires.  Both Cooper and Mulligan are nominated for Best Actor Golden Globes, and I expect Oscar nominations in their future.

Directed by Cooper (he also wrote the screenplay with Josh Singer), this has the feel of an old style film from the 40's and 50's.  It is a fairly linear tale, it has lush production values, with Bernstein's music punctuating the plot and a certain amount of melodrama, which I enjoy.  Though Cooper's directorial choices were odd at times, this film evokes a time gone by, when artistic people got together at parties, and instead of looking at their phones, performed for each other, told jokes, talked about their creative processes and smoked and smoked and smoked.  But the film is also a very human story, a linear love story about a man struggling with his sexuality and the woman who loved him.

I can't help but wonder, though, why is Bernstein's story being told now?  He died 34 years ago and few probably remember him today.  But don't get me wrong, his story deserves to be told and his music and achievements remembered because he was a very special man. This is clearly a labor of love for Cooper as well as the other executive producers - Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg - and maybe that's all the reason needed.

Rosy the Reviewer says...a fascinating film about a man who deserves to be remembered and performances that are a tribute to him. (Netflix)

Pain Hustlers (2023)

An expose of some criminal shenanigans in the pharmaceutical industry.

Based on a true story chronicled in the 2022 book "The Hard Sell" by Evan Hughes and adapted for the screen by Wells Tower, this is the story of Liza Drake (Emily Blunt), a stripper who has fallen on hard times but suddenly finds herself making tons of money as a pharmaceutical rep until it all comes crashing down.

In 2011, Liza Drake is a struggling single mother living out of her sister's garage in Florida with her epileptic daughter, Phoebe (Chloe Coleman). When working as a stripper, she meets Pete Brenner (Chris Evans), who works for Zanna, a pharmaceutical company, and he offers her a job as a pharmaceutical rep at his company.  Hey, stripper?...pharma rep?...sure, why not?

When things get even worse for Liza and her daughter's health worsens, she takes Pete up on his offer but since she is a high school dropout, Pete writes her a resume, giving her a degree in biochemistry.  In her interview with Dr. Jack Neel (Andy Garcia), the company founder, she impresses him and gets the job only to discover that Zanna has also fallen on hard times, finding it difficult to break into the pharma market. Neel gives her five days to convince a doctor to prescribe their drug, Lonafen, a pain medication for cancer patients. The "fen" part of Lonafen should give you a hint on what this drug is all about.

After some missteps, Liza manages to convince a Dr. Lydell (Brian d'Arcy James) to prescribe the drug, and it snowballs, giving Zanna a foot into the market and Liza is promoted to National Sales Director and Pete to COO. Things are looking good for Zanna, but when sales flatten, Neel gets greedy and he pressures the sales staff to market Lonafen for all types of pain, not just cancer. Now people are in lines outside of pain management clinics needing the drug.  And then bribery, illegal speaker programs and other criminal activities join the mix.

The U.S. Attorney's office eventually gets involved, and when people start dying from Lonafen, one of them Liza's friend's husband, Liza starts feeling guilty and agrees to testify against the company. And yes, Lonafen is basically fentanyl which is why non-terminal patients became addicts and often overdosed.

There is a reason why those pharma reps waiting outside your doctor's office are good-looking and dressed to the nines.  It's all about sales, and it seems back in the day some doctors could be charmed into prescribing certain drugs or even bribed, at least according to this film. Similar to the TV series "Dope Sick," which I thought was one of the best series of 2021, this film, directed by David Yates, is not as good but also exposes the dark side of the pharma industry, especially the unscrupulous methods that some used to get opioids into our health care industry.

Emily Blunt plays against type as a sort of Erin Brockovich character and Chris Evans eschews his "Captain America" uniform and heroic persona for a suit and tie and a sleazy attitude. Blunt is especially good.

Rosy the Reviewer says...this movie should make you mad...in a good way. (Netflix)

Candy Cane Lane (2023)

It's Christmas and Chris Carver (Eddie Murphy) is determined to win the big prize for best decorated house on his street.

Let me just say from the start, my little town has a Candy Cane Lane so we are used to over-the-top house decorating. Christmas Eve, it was a family tradition to have our Christmas Eve pizza, get in the car and sing Christmas carols as we toured our Candy Cane Lane and then returned home to open presents.  So I relate to the Candy Cane Lane concept.  However, I just could not relate to this movie. Remember that Rosy the Reviewer says "I see the bad ones so you don't have to?"  Well, you are welcome. It's bad.

Chris Carver needs to win the $100,000 prize for best decorated house because he lost his job and his wife, Carol (Tracee Ellis Ross), may not get the promotion she deserves. Their daughter, Joy (Genneya Walton), a high school track star, doesn't appear to want to attend USC, their alma mater, and son, Nick (Thaddeus J. Mixson), enjoys playing his tuba more than getting his math grades up.  So Chris needs a distraction, not to mention that hundred grand, so the race is on to find the perfect decorations. Oh, I forgot to mention the precocious younger, daughter, Holly (Madison Thomas).  There is always one of those in these kinds of movies. You know, the little kid who sees what the adults can't see?  And did you notice the names?  Chris, Carol, Joy, Nick, Holly.  That should give you some idea of what is to come and it ain't pretty.

One can't help but compare this movie to "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" and Chris to Clark Griswold, but I am sorry to say no real comparison. Not even close.  Even with the element of magic that is introduced, it just doesn't work. 

Chris, looking for Christmas decorations, takes a strange detour and ends up in a building under the freeway and a store run by Pepper (Jillian Bell), who turns out to be an evil elf. Of course, he doesn't know that.  She sells Chris a "Twelve Days of Christmas" tree that Chris is certain will win him the contest, but in order to buy the decoration he must sign an agreement, that, of course, he doesn't read.  

When the big night arrives, Chris lights up the tree and the decorations are spectacular until...all of the characters on the tree come to life and terrorize the neighborhood.  So now Chris must spend the rest of the movie reeling in the seven swans a swimming, the six geese a laying...well you know the drill...and he must find the five gold rings before midnight or he will turn into a teeny-tiny version of himself, a Christmas figurine. Remember that agreement he signed that he didn't read?  And remember I said that Pepper was an evil elf? Oh, didn't I tell you...when he was in the shop he met three other miniature humans (Nick Offerman, Robin Thede and Chris Redd) who had been turned into figurines by the evil Pepper (they didn't read their agreements either), and they just happened to hitch a ride over to his house, so they become part of the story as well.

Enough said.  Written by Kelly Younger and directed by Reginald Hudlin, bad jokes and cliches abound - even that over-used slo-mo power walk that we always see when some butt kicking needs to happen is in this.  I am fairly certain this movie was supposed to be funny and stir up some happy holiday memories.  But it isn't and it doesn't.  As a longtime Eddie Murphy fan, I had such high hopes for this film. What is it about these comedians who stop being funny when they get old and they fall into the sentimentality trap?  It happened to Richard Pryor, it happened to Chevy Chase and now it's happened to Eddie.  He's just not funny and neither is this movie.

Rosy the Reviewer says...this is one holiday chore you can skip. (Amazon Prime)

Thanks for reading!

See you next time!

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to like it and share it on Facebook, Twitter, or other sites; email it to your friends and/or follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rosythereviewer 

And next time you are wondering whether or not to watch a particular film, check out my reviews on IMDB (The International Movie Database). Go to IMDB.com, find the movie you are interested in.  Scroll over to the right of the synopsis to where it says "Critic Reviews" - Click on that and if I have reviewed that film, you will find Rosy the Reviewer alphabetically on the list (NOTE:  IMDB keeps moving stuff around so if you don't find "Critics Reviews" where I am sending you, look around.  It's worth it)!

When There is Nothing Playing at the Movie Theatres That Makes You Want to Leave Home: Some Good Movies You Can Watch in Your PJ's, Part 3

[I review the movie "Leave the World Behind," which just dropped on Netflix today, as well as "May December," and "Quiz Lady"]

It's that time of year - busy, busy, busy.  And there is no time to get to the movie theatre, even if there were some good films out there (there kind of aren't). But here are some theatre worthy films you can watch at home.  Grab your favorite adult beverage and take a breather!  Enjoy!

Leave the World Behind (2023)

A vacation from hell.  Oh, and the end of the world as we know it.

Amanda Sanford (Julia Roberts) hates people, which is kind of funny since she manages customer relations for an advertising firm. She decides to take the family away from the city to a rental on Long Island for a little vacation to "leave the world behind." Her husband, Clay (Ethan Hawke), is a professor and has a bit more faith in people than Amanda. They have two children, Rose (Farrah Mackenzie) and Archie (Charlie Evans). 

The house is massive and gorgeous, but it's odd that there is no cell connectivity and the TV and wi-fi aren't working either, which is a real problem for Rose, who is obsessed with TV, especially the show "Friends." She just needs to see the last episode to see how it ends. 

Uh, oh - the vacation has not started out well. Being cut off from the outside world and that ominous music says some bad stuff is going to happen. And it does.

The next day the family goes to the beach and a huge tanker washes up onto the beach in a spectacular scene, and then, later that night, G.H. Scott (Mahershala Ali) and his daughter, Ruth (Myha'la), show up at the house. Scott tells Amanda and Clay that he is the owner of the house and that a blackout in the city has forced them to return. They ask to spend the night. Amanda is skeptical but Clay is okay with it. 

With no Internet or TV, they are all isolated, so the next day, Clay goes into town to try to find out what is going on and G.H. goes next door, only to find the house destroyed. Then airplanes start falling from the sky, Clay has some strange experiences going into town and the deer on the property are acting menacingly (and let me tell you, I have had personal experience with aggressive deer. It's scary). When Amanda and Clay try to go back to the City and encounter a pile-up of self-driving cars blocking the road (another spectacular scene and not a very good advert for Tesla), they realize they can't get to the City and return to the house. What the heck is going on? Finally, G.H. shares that he thinks there is some kind of government conspiracy at foot...but, uh, it's way worse than that!

Welcome to the world of apocalyptic horror.

When a movie starts out with ominous music, you know you are in for some serious stuff and this is two-and-a-half hours of serious stuff.

Adapted from the book by Rumaan Alam by Sam Esmail and directed by Esmail, this is a taut thriller about people in jeopardy, stuck together in a house, and the crazy stuff that can happen while the world is going to hell around them.  It reminded me a bit of the recent film "Knock on the Cabin," though this film is more psychological in nature, examining family dynamics, prejudices, inhumanity and our dependence on technology. My only criticism is that the film didn't need to be so long, but you will want to see how it plays out. And since you are at home, you can always take a break (Thank you, Netflix, but can't avoid the irony).

It's a star-studded cast. 

I have been a fan of Julia Roberts since the get-go.  She is an accomplished actress who doesn't seem to have aged at all since "Pretty Woman."  Here she eschews the rom-com genre for the thriller genre, but there actually is some romance.  Well, sort of.  She and the handsome and talented Ali have a bit of a thing. Ethan Hawke has some juicy scenes and Kevin Bacon has a small, but pivotal role, as a survivalist. Also fun fact, Michelle and Barack Obama are two of the executive producers.

With all of the terrible things going on in the world right now, why would you want to watch a scary film about the end of the world?

Well, it's a riveting film, with first rate production values, and I for one, find it comforting to know that things in the world could be a lot worse!

Rosy the Reviewer says...a taut doomsday thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat. What would YOU do if the end of the world was near? (Netflix)

May December (2023)

A speculation into what Mary Kay Letourneau's life and marriage might have looked like after the scandal?

Remember the Mary Kay Letourneau scandal?  If not, perhaps you were too young when it happened or living in Antarctica, so to bring you up to speed, it involved a married middle school teacher in her 30's who had an affair with her 12-year-old student, if you can call that an affair.  Actually, it was deemed child rape and she went to prison but got out early after agreeing to never see the kid again.  Wait.  There's more.  She was caught with him again, went back to prison where she gave birth! Wait, wait.  There's still more.  THEY EVENTUALLY GOT MARRIED!  If ever there was an instance of truth being stranger than fiction, this is it.

So this film is based on that story...but with some twists.

In this version, it's the same sort of scandal that Letourneau was involved in, but this time it's Gracie (Julianne Moore) and Joe (Charles Melton), who are now married, living in Savannah and it's 20 years since le scandale. The two met when Gracie was working in a pet store and Joe worked there after school. She was 37 and he was 13.  They supposedly got it on in the stock room and were caught.  A film version is planned about their story and they are approached by Elizabeth Berry (Natalie Portman), an actress who is best known for playing a TV veterinarian.  Now she is going to play Gracie in a movie about Joe and Gracie.

Elizabeth wants to observe Gracie's life for research for her role and Gracie lets her, because she wants Elizabeth to "get it right." She also might want Elizabeth to see that they are just regular folks. After all, despite the age difference and the scandal, here she is, a wife, a mother and a baker and Joe raises Monarch butterflies. What's not to like? But there are cracks in the idyllic scenario.  Joe talks on FB to a mysterious person he seems to like and Gracie shows herself to perhaps not be completely stable.

It's a strange little tale that wonders what the everyday life of someone like Mary Kay Letourneau might have been like after a huge viral scandal and what regrets might a much younger husband seduced by an much older woman have? 

And then there is Elizabeth.  She has toiled in television, but now wants to prove herself as a serious actress in an indie film that is going to be made about Gracie and Joe. Elizabeth also turns out to have some issues. Elizabeth visits said stock room in the pet store and in a very cringey scene re-enacts what might have gone on in there. What an actor won't do for her craft!  Elizabeth also interviews other people involved, especially Gracie's ex-husband who still can't understand what a 37-year-old woman saw in a 7th grader. I'm with him.  And why did the 13 year-old get involved with Gracie?  "She saw me."

Though the film is about a tabloid scandal, the film, written by Samy Burch and Alex Mechanik, is also a commentary on such tabloid scandals, our fascination with sex, crime and celebrity. "Dateline," and "20/20" are perfect examples.  No one probably remembers that both started out as legit news shows like "60 Minutes," but changed course when it became apparent that true crime and scandal attracted more viewers. We are voracious consumers of that kind of content. The film also kind of makes fun of the lengths actors will go to inhabit their roles.

And that's what makes this an odd, but fascinating, little film. 

Despite the subject matter, it's actually kind of funny in a dark way and it makes no judgment. Yes, Gracie was convicted of child rape and went to prison, but she doesn't appear to regret any of it or feel bad about herself, and her life has gone on. She married Joe, they live in a nice house, they have children who are getting ready for college and it all just seems so...normal.  But it's not. It's a "Dateline" life.

Moore and Portman are serious actresses who have proven themselves. Both have Best Leading Actress Oscars under their belts, Portman for "Black Swan" and Moore for "Still Alice."  And to add to this movie's credentials, director Todd Haynes has an Oscar nomination for his screenplay for "Far From Heaven (also starring Moore)" and countless other nominations and awards over the years for directing and writing. I am a fan of his films. They embody time and place, mood and beauty.  And this is his fifth collaboration with Moore, which started in 1995 with "Safe." Melton, best known for the TV show "Riverdale," doesn't have a whole lot to do but I think that's the point.  As Gracie's husband, who married her before he was out of his teenage years, he has missed a lot in life and doesn't seem to have a whole lot to do either, raising Monarch butterflies, not withstanding. He is now a husband whose wife tells him what to do.

Rosy the Reviewer says...a strange but fascinating little film starring actresses at the top of their game. (Netflix)

Quiz Lady (2023)

Two estranged sisters - Anne (Awkwafina) and Jennie (Sandra Oh) - come together to help pay off their mother's gambling debt.

Yes, it's a comedy and a funny one with Sandra Oh as you have never seen her, hamming it up as a ne're do well and, Awkwafina, taking the lead as a smart but awkward reclusive woman hooked on a game show. Though comedian Awkwafina had been around for several years doing her stand-up and acting in some films, it was her comic star-turn in "Crazy Rich Asians" that gave her film career a boost and now she is a hot commodity.

Anne and Jennie grew up in a troubled household.  Jennie, ten years older than Anne, coped by being a bad girl; Anne coped by being a quiet good girl and by watching a nightly game show called "Can't Stop the Quiz" hosted by Terry McTeer (think "Jeopardy" and Alex Trebek except with Will Ferrell and a nutty charades component).

Now as adults, the sisters have each gone their own way.  Anne works as an accountant in a cubicle jungle and Jennie, well, not sure what Jennie has been up to, but it's not good. They come together when their mother goes missing from her nursing home and Jennie gloms onto Anne. Jennie appears to be living in her car and has been up to no good and needs a place to stay.  And when Anne's dog, Linguini, is kidnapped by some bad guys, the sisters also learn their mother owes the bad guys money and they are keeping the dog until Anne pays up.

Meanwhile, Jennie films Anne getting all of the answers right while watching "Can't Stop the Quiz" and posts it on social media.  It goes viral and Anne starts getting recognized as "The Quiz Lady."  And Jennie gets the idea that Anne needs to get on that show so they can make the money they need to pay their mother's debt.  But this is not an easy task as Anne has social anxiety. So Jennie kidnaps Anne by putting her in the trunk of her car and, well, it's all very funny as they make their way from Philadelphia to Los Angeles and try to get Anne on the show.

Jason Schwartzman plays a smarmy, self-important long-time winner on the show who is about to become the all-time champion and Anne would love to unseat him if she could just get over her fears.  Wait!  Jennie has the answer. Drugs! Just imagine "Jeopardy" contestants on the show doing psychedelics. Well, now you don't have to imagine.  You can see for yourself. 

I was never a huge Sandra Oh fan but now I am.  She is very funny here, and Will Ferrell brings a warmth to his character as game show host, McTeer, as he advises Anne to not worry about winning so much as savoring the experience and creating memories.

Written by Jen D'Angelo and directed by Jessica Yu, this is a sort of buddy movie but has the sweetness of the sister bond as flashbacks reveal what they went through together growing up and just what Jenny did to look out for her little sister.

Rosy the Reviewer says...a very funny but also sweet film about sisterly love. (Hulu)

Thanks for reading!

See you next time!

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to like it and share it on Facebook, Twitter, or other sites; email it to your friends and/or follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rosythereviewer 

And next time you are wondering whether or not to watch a particular film, check out my reviews on IMDB (The International Movie Database). Go to IMDB.com, find the movie you are interested in.  Scroll over to the right of the synopsis to where it says "Critic Reviews" - Click on that and if I have reviewed that film, you will find Rosy the Reviewer alphabetically on the list (NOTE:  IMDB keeps moving stuff around so if you don't find "Critics Reviews" where I am sending you, look around.  It's worth it)!