Movie Reviews: Widows, Green Book, and Fantastic Beasts 2

This weekend, two films that have been lauded on the festival circuit and have created Oscar buzz are being released. So too is the latest installment of the Fantastic Beasts series. Cinema Siren guides you through this sea of celluloid, so you can make a decision on what deserves your dollars:

Widows: Sisters are Stealing it For Themselves

Can Viola Davis do no wrong? She's at it again, making herself Queen of the Heist Genre, with the help of her female co-stars. Widows stars Davis in the new film from Steve McQueen, from a screenplay he co-wrote with Gone Girl novelist Gillian Flynn, as Veronica, a woman trapped by the loss of her criminal husband Harry (Liam Neeson). He left behind lots of bills, and a debt some dangerous men have informed her has come due. She must come up with millions of dollars in a matter of weeks or she, and likely her sweet little Westie pup, will be snuffed out.

Oscar winner McQueen is not known for uplifting movies, he of 12 Years a Slave, Shame, and Hunger. Generally, audiences are left feeling desperate, sad, or unclean as the credits roll, and that’s clearly the way he likes it. What a change this film is, then, with its action, excitement, and the hope that Veronica can take over the planning and execution of husband’s last big job before she is confronted with an execution of her own. She’s a badass, this Veronica, and finds determination, and perhaps even rage in her grief. She goes about building a crew by contacting the widows of the other men in the score-gone-wrong that killed them all. As it turns out, they could all use the funds. Michelle Rodriguez plays Linda, who has to close her Quinceanera shop when it’s repossessed. Her late husband spent the rent money and then some. Elizabeth Debicki is Alice, who hasn’t two dimes to rub together, and has less sadness in her loss, since it meant the end of her husband’s beatings. She’s so bad off financially, she’s taken her mother’s advice and started having exclusive sex dates with a rich creep, sugar baby-style. They find their fourth in the enigmatic hair stylist Belle, (Cynthia Erivo), who is looking for financial independence to keep her kids safe.

With Gillian Flynn working the plot, it’s a given there will be lots of twists and surprises, and there are. There are also a lot of characters to make things convoluted and leave the audience guessing. Who will betray whom, and who will be left standing in the end? There are business contracts and dirty deals and elections in the offing, all of which involve some truly bad dudes, including those played by Robert Duvall, Colin Farrell, Daniel Kaluuya, and Brian Tyree Henry. It’s not always clear who is the worst of them, although Kaluuya might be the most blithely evil character you’ll encounter in 2018.

Widows affirms, for anyone who had any doubts, that McQueen can direct a blockbuster action film with skill and style. It also reminds those who wonder why the ubiquitous Elizabeth Debicki, who has been showing up all over UK and US television and feature films, continues to land on the lips of every casting director in Hollywood. She’s a standout…and stands out, being 6 feet three inches in height. Davis is as good as she’s ever been, and carries this heist film ably and with such believability, it would be nice if the lie that female leads can’t carry a traditionally male genre would be laid to rest once and for all.

She also plays the wife of a white man, and there’s no fuss or mention of it at any time and no plot point it serves. They are just two people in love. It’s a bigger deal than it seems, given how rarely films use “nontraditional” casting. This holiday season, movie fans looking for a film celebrating women onscreen that doesn’t use femininity, whatever that is, as a crutch, should flock to Widows. It fits the bill.

4 out of 5 stars

Green Book: A Feel-Good Friendship Flick With Grace and Depth

Green Book won the Audience Award at the Middleburg Film Festival, along with the 12 other wins it’s racked up. It’s an audience love-fest at every film fest in which it’s been played. Viggo Mortensen plays bouncer and tough, uncouth Italian-American family man Tony Lip, against Mahershala Ali’s portrayal of Doctor Don Shirley, a highbrow virtuoso pianist who lives above Carnegie Hall, and sits on a literal throne in a Dashiki, surrounded by treasures from around the world, with a servant catering to his needs. Both these men, as well as the stories that feature them, are real. The real Don Shirley engaged Lip as a driver and “problem solver” on a concert tour through the most racist parts of the American south in 1962. They use what was called the “Negro Motorist Green Book”, which listed lodging and restaurants in the Jim Crow south that would accept people of color. Director Peter Farrelly, known for his work with his brother Bobby on films like Dumb and Dumber and There’s Something About Mary, shows he has a subtle streak, offering up a charming, funny, poignant film about friendship and change that will delight audiences and maybe even walk away with an Oscar or two.

When Don Shirley discovered the story of his travels with Tony might be put out into the world, his one stipulation was that it be published after his death. Now his experiences and the development of a lifelong friendship are up on the big screen. Within the timeframe of the concert tour, the vast differences in the two personalities and personal histories are expressed, as are the ways they find ways they find commonality and choose to support each other.

In one particularly funny scene, Tony, shocked at Don’s inexperience with what he thought was “your people’s food”, exposes him to eating Kentucky Fried Chicken without silverware. When Tony loses his temper and punches a racist policeman, Don remains calm. The two experience the many examples of overt racism as they go from town to town. Don may be furious, but he never loses his dignity.

These two great actors play off each other with such attention and subtlety that they entirely avoid the cliches or sentimentality that would be the normal byproducts of scenes like these. It never becomes the ignorant racist slowly coming to enlightenment, or the uncomfortable, enigmatic person of color finding his sense of humor. There are many unexpected, surprising moments likely created by both the expertise of the actors involved and the fact that these characters have real-life counterparts. Tony, for example, has some insightful perspectives, seems to know himself, have compassion, and a clear moral compass. Don is searching for himself, living alone with one foot in several worlds, none of which accept him completely for who he is. He wants to use his artistic genius as a beacon, and Tony shows himself to be surprisingly supportive in Don doing so.

Green Book is basically the political, 60s coming-of-middle-age bromance you didn’t know you needed. Is it more than mildly depressing that we could use another version of the what they called the guide to “traveling while black” right now? Yes. We haven’t come a long way, baby. Yet, deep as it is, Great Book is also truly funny, sweet, and as to the characters and their development, is ultimately a feel-good flick that speaks to the power of friendship. You’ll love it, I promise.

4 1/2 out of 5 stars

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald -Wasted Wizardry

The latest foray into the magical wizarding world, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, is brought to us by J.K. Rowling. As the film’s screenwriter, it might be proof positive that she is indeed a muggle, and not a witch in disguise. It’s not the acting or the world-building, the beasts, or the special effects at fault for the confusing, oddly-paced muddle, filled with plot holes, inexplicable character choices, and dangling story elements. It’s entirely the fault of the script. When two superfans of all things Harry Potter find themselves bored, flummoxed, and apathetic to the story’s goings-on, it’s a very bad sign. Indeed, the best thing about Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is the parade of compelling red carpet looks Ezra Miller is serving. They rival the best or worst that Bjork ever concocted.

The story, without revealing anything, includes a younger Dumbledore, winningly played by Jude Law, and members of the Ministry of Magic attempting to work with Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) to rid the world of Grindelwald. Viewers can imagine him as Hannibal Lecter, if he were both a wizard and a charismatic speaker. Played by Johnny Depp, he sounds like a somber, sober Jack Sparrow. As demonstrated by the red carpet, somehow Ezra Miller’s character survived the last film, and Creedence figured prominently in the plot. Returning also are a number of other players from the last film, although they aren’t nearly as fleshed out or given much in the way of motivation for their choices.

There are charming and even engrossing moments that mostly center around the exquisite environments and production design. They are courtesy of Oscar winner Stuart Craig and his team. Craig has been part of the franchise since the first Harry Potter film. He knows how to not only be consistent, but expand upon and diversify the scenery and elements to keep the magical qualities fans of the franchise have grown to love. Scenes from the magical worlds of early 20th century Paris, New York, and London are eye popping indeed, as are the beasts old and new, who have quirks and qualities that will surely endear animal lovers. Unfortunately, his movie magic, and the FX wizardry of the many talented production artists that make the film so beautiful, are only part of the movie as a whole. They have to compensate for the film’s major flaws, as do the actors. Redmayne, Miller, Law, along with Zoe Kravitz, Katherine Waterston, and other returning and new cast members, all perform admirably, such as they can with the script and dialogue they are given. There’s no shortage of beautifully costumed performers onscreen.

The problems arise from the plot. If viewers start wondering what the heck is happening, or how the pieces fit together, or why a new story element is introduced only to be left hanging without resolution, they shouldn’t be surprised. They will likely find themselves losing connection to everyone but Newt, who is the only one given a solid arc. They also aren’t going to find explanations forthcoming for any confusing elements, even to the end credits.

Whether the reveals and major events that happen in the film will be enough to keep audiences coming back for the next installment is anyone’s guess. Fans of the world of Hogwarts, its history, characters, and myths have always been a loyal, yet critical bunch. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is a visually beautiful misstep. Maybe Jo will surprise us with some magic with the next one. “Accio, better script!”

2 1/2 out of 5 stars

ABOUT CINEMA SIREN:

Leslie Combemale, who writes about women in film and artists behind the scenes and below the line at http://cinemasiren.com/, is a movie lover and aficionado who aspires to get more people back into the beautiful alternate worlds offered in dark movie houses across the country. She has also been the owner of ArtInsights Gallery of Film and Contemporary Art (https://artinsights.com/) for over twenty five years, promoting artists who are the unsung heroes essential to the finished look of films and their campaigns. She interviews actors, directors, and production artists from all over the world, and writes about film for sites like AWFJ.org, thecredits.org, and http://www.animationscoop.com and is often invited to present at conventions such as the San Diego Comic-Con, where she has been a panelist and host for The Art of the Hollywood Movie Poster, Classic Film History, Disney & Harry Potter Fandom discussions, and now produces a panel at SDCC called "Women Rocking Hollywood”, entering its fourth year.