Reviews | NostalGeoff

Tag: Reviews
- Shit & Champagne…Review
  
  Posted at 8:05 am by Geoff, on September 24, 2020
  D’Arcy Drollinger wears many hats (and wigs) in her new movie Shit & Champagne. The drag icon stars in, writes, and directs the action comedy based on her stage play of the same name. Set in 1970s San Francisco, the film centers on Champagne Horowitz Jones Dickerson White (so she’s been married a few times, it’s none of your fucking business!) a foxy stripper caught up in a tangled plot. She witnesses her boyfriend Rod’s murder at the hands of two hired goons (Manuel Caneri & Adam Roy) and sets off on a quest to find out who had him killed. That person turns out to be Dixie Stampede (Matthew Martin), an evil mastermind with a dastardly plan involving hard drugs and big box retail. Champagne vows to take down Dixie and avenge Rod’s death.
  
  It only gets more outrageous from there, but that’s intentional. Champagne is a send up of Blaxploitation films from the 70s, except with a white lead this time. So Whiploitation? It’s supposed to be over the top. Drollinger does a nice job of balancing the zaniness with well written comedy. It’s ridiculous in the best way possible. The production quality is great as well. At one point, Champagne and a goon get into an insane knockdown fight in a small bathroom. The sequence looks like something out of a mainstream movie with a larger budget. Well, minus the death by plunger.
  
  Drollinger’s performance is the heart of the movie. She moves easily from sex kitten to clown and back again. Without her charisma the movie wouldn’t work. She gets ample support from Martin, the best campy high-kicking villain, and Steven LeMay, who plays Champagne’s ill-fated adopted stepsister, Brandy. LeMay steals every scene with her comedic timing and perfect calves.
  
  If I have to offer any criticism, it would be that Champagne’s runtime is a little long and the leading man, Detective Hammer (Seton Brown), is dull. Aside from that this a dragtastically entertaining movie.
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  Posted in Movies | 0 Comments | Tagged 70s, Movies, Reviews
- How to Build a Girl…Review
  
  Posted at 8:15 am by Geoff, on May 20, 2020
  How to Build a Girl is a quirky endearing coming of age movie. Set in mid-90s England, it concentrates on sixteen-year-old outcast Johanna Morrigan (Beanie Feldstein), who is continually bullied at school. While her family is supportive, they are pretty unstable. Plus, the only “people” she can talk to are the pictures of famous figures on her wall that come to life in her fantasies. She’s desperately yearning for something to happen in her life and take her out of this mess. That something arrives in the form of a job at an indie rock magazine.
  
  At first the douchey all-male staff dismisses Johanna, but she manages to win them over with her genuine writing talent. She takes it a step further by reinventing herself as Dolly Wilde, a brash, biting music critic. Armed with a new persona and look (shocking red hair and even louder outfits), Johanna’s star quickly rises. But she soon realizes that she doesn’t necessarily like the girl she has become.
  
  The movie is adapted from Caitlin Moran’s memoir and her life makes for an unusual yet enjoyable story. You root for Johanna to succeed and cringe when she falls on her face. Feldstein is extremely charming in the role. She brings both heart and the humor to her character. I also thought it was great that director Coky Giedroyc wasn’t afraid to show Johanna as a sexual person. She hops from man to man, like a sexual anthropologist. Usually with plus-sized women in movies, their sexuality is downplayed or ignored. Giedroyc puts it all out there in a frank manner.
  
  I liked the overall message of the film: being comfortable in your skin and owning who you are despite what others think. Johanna sees that she has built herself up into someone she doesn’t recognize, so she breaks it all down and rebuilds. She ultimately becomes the person she is most proud of. It’s something anyone can identify with, in your teen years and beyond.
  
  *Side Note*
  
  It wasn’t until a few days after seeing Girl that I realized how much it reminded me of the 1994 comedy Muriel’s Wedding. They each feature outrageous young women that don’t fit in with the popular crowd and decide to make themselves over into someone new. Both protagonists have oddball families. Plus, music (ABBA, indie rock) is featured heavily. Feldstein’s Johanna also has a similar affable energy as Toni Collette’s Muriel. The two films would make a great double feature. Maybe at a drive-in.
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  Posted in Movies | 0 Comments | Tagged 90s, Movies, Music, Reviews
- Hollywood…Review
  
  Posted at 10:11 pm by Geoff, on May 4, 2020
  Ryan Murphy’s latest project, Hollywood, concentrates on the infamous movie industry town in the post-WWII 1940s. But this isn’t a straight up version of what happened back then. Instead, Murphy takes a detour and imagines “what if”. What if a black woman could have been the lead in a major motion picture? What if a woman ran the studio? Or what if a gay man was able to come out and still have a career?
  
  A variety of characters bring this vision to life. Jack Costello (David Corenswet) is an actor who dreams of making it big in the movies. Unfortunately, he can’t get work and needs to support his family. That leads him to Ernie (Dylan McDermott) a colorful character who runs a gas station that is front for a prostitution ring. The attendants are all hot guys who fulfill the needs of customers looking to go to “Dreamland”. Jack’s first client is Avis (Patti Lupone), a former actress who is neglected by her brash studio boss husband, Ace (Rob Reiner). We also meet longtime Ace Studio executives Dick (Joe Mantello) and Ellen (Holland Taylor). Then there’s black aspiring ingenue Camille (Laura Harrier), her Filipino director boyfriend Raymond (Darren Criss), and Archie (Jeremy Pope), a gay black screenwriter. The show also includes real people from the era. Anna May Wong (Michelle Krusiec) was an Asian actress who never got the chance to break out of the stereotypical roles Hollywood put her in. Murphy seeks to rectify that. Henry Wilson (Jim Parsons) was one of the slimiest talent managers in town. He sexually abused his clients, young men who trusted him with their careers. Parsons is fantastic at playing this reptilian character. Henry’s most famous client was debonair matinee idol Rock Hudson (Jake Picking). I’m a big Hudson fan, but this particular portrayal is horrible. He’s written as a clueless buffoon, stumbling in every scene. It’s a weird choice.
  
  After the first few episodes, the new reality begins. Ace has a heart attack and is sidelined in the hospital. This allows Avis to step in and run the studio. She greenlights Meg, a film directed by Raymond, written by Archie, and starring Camille. None of these people would have been able to reach these goals in the actual 1940s, but in Murphy’s world all of the “others” can finally win. It’s an exciting concept to push aside the old straight white men and let someone else have the power. The problem I found, though, was the execution. Murphy hits us over the head with how monumental these fictional events would have been. Think of what it would have meant to a little black girl to see Camille on the big screen. And then he cuts to that girl. The same thing is done with a black gay man and an Asian family reacting to Archie and Anna’s successes. He doesn’t just show us, but also continually puts it in the dialogue. You can only hear people go on and on about their previously unattainable dreams before it begins to sound trite. I get it, this is a big deal. The other thing is that these triumphs are reached with very little pushback. It comes too easy, eliminating any tension in the plot.
  
  On the plus side, the production is gorgeous. Murphy and crew meticulously recreate the decade through the sets, costumes, and music. Lupone’s hats deserve their own special Emmy. The younger actors are very charismatic, particularly Costello and Pope. I also liked the inclusion of the veteran actors who get to do a lot of heavy lifting. Seeing Mantello, Holland, McDermott, and Lupone in scenes together is captivating. I only wish that the story matched the strength of the other elements in the series.
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  Posted in TV | 0 Comments | Tagged 40s, Reviews, TV
- Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street…Review
  
  Posted at 8:32 am by Geoff, on March 10, 2020
  The documentary Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street thoroughly delves into the history of A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge and the effect it had on its star, Mark Patton. It’s an interesting look at how a movie can change someone’s life for better or worse.
  
  In the first Elm Street, a group of teenagers are stalked and killed by boogeyman Freddy Kruger (Robert Englund) in their nightmares. Nancy (Heather Langenkamp), the final girl, survives and defeats him. The movie did extremely well at the box office and led to a sequel being rushed into production. Part 2 strayed from the original’s formula though. For starters, the final girl was replaced with a guy, Jesse (Patton). That wasn’t something you normally saw back then. Also, Freddy wasn’t just haunting Jesse, he wanted to possess him and escape the dream world. The movie was moderately successful compared to the first. The biggest critique, mainly coming from straight men, was that it was too gay. They weren’t that off base.
  
  In the film, Freddy wants to “get inside Jesse’s body” and his interactions with his prey are quite homoerotic. Then there’s Jesse’s possibly gay gym teacher, Coach Schneider (Marshall Bell). Jesse dreams about running into him in at a leather bar. Later, Schneider is stripped (rare male nudity) and whipped with towels. Seriously. There’s also the notion that Jesse (and Patton) wasn’t masculine enough. It was said that he was too sensitive and screamed like a girl. The criticism negatively impacted Patton’s life. At the time he was a closeted actor trying to make it in Hollywood, so he worried that being associated with anything gay would derail his career. This was also 1985, the height of the AIDS epidemic. Gay equalled diseased and ultimately blacklisted. Patton discovered he was HIV-positive and retreated from acting. He went off the grid and moved to Mexico.
  
  The documentary cuts to the present day with Patton coming to terms with Freddy’s Revenge. He’s still hurt by the jabs about his performance in the film and blames one person in particular, the screenwriter. For decades, David Chaskin denied that he purposely put gay elements into his script. Instead he inferred that Patton made the movie gay. But he never had a conversation with Patton about it either way. Luckily, the documentary captures their long-time-coming meetup. The film also shows Patton interacting with his former castmates, going to horror movie conventions, and doing Q&A’s after screenings of Freddy’s Revenge. You see that he’s accepted the legacy of the movie and Jesse. Yes, he still has issues from his past experiences, but he has been able to move on and create a good life for himself outside of Hollywood. Instead of becoming bitter he has a sense of humor about the situation. Plus, the once panned movie has now become a cult classic for many.
  
  I like that Scream, Queen! co-directors Roman Chimienti and Tyler Jensen also focus on the overall appeal of horror movies to gay audiences. Many of the interviewees are fans of the genre who talk about escaping from their own harsh realities through these films. As outsiders, they find strength in seeing the protagonist fight back and beat the evil that is out to get them. It’s even more meaningful when a gay character or theme is added to the mix. The filmmakers show how powerful it is when a horror fan can identify with these movies with one fan mentioning how Jesse inspired him. Hopefully, in the future there will be more final “out of the ordinary” guys in horror movies and it won’t be so scary.
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  Posted in Movies | 0 Comments | Tagged 80s, Documentary, Movies, Reviews
- 1917…Review
  
  Posted at 5:45 pm by Geoff, on December 26, 2019
  Sam Mendes’ 1917 follows two young soldiers on a dangerous mission during WWI. In the film, Schofield (George MacKay) and Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) are tasked with warning a British battalion that they are walking into a trap set by the German army. If they fail, 1,600 lives will be lost, including Blake’s brother (Richard Madden). The two men have to make it through enemy territory to the front line with very little time to spare.
  
  The film was shot and edited to look like one long continuous take. This technique makes everything feel more contained and personal, as if you are alongside Schofield and Blake as they charge into claustrophobic spaces, crawl under barbed-wire, and dodge bullets. Mendes, who also co-wrote the screenplay, creates a nerve-wracking narrative with few breaks in the tension. There’s also the stunning cinematography from Roger Deakins, literally getting the viewer in trenches. In addition, MacKay and Chapman expertly convey the bravery and terror, along with a host of other emotions, that their characters are experiencing.
  
  Mendes has said that he intended 1917 to be more of a thriller and less of a conventional war movie. He succeeds. Yes, history buffs will probably enjoy it, but this isn’t a stuffy boring story. It’s a compelling film that immerses you in these men’s lives and their journey.
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  Posted in Movies | 0 Comments | Tagged 1910s, Movies, Reviews
- Black Christmas (2019)…Review
  
  Posted at 2:22 pm by Geoff, on December 18, 2019
  The original Black Christmas is one of my favorite horror movies. Probably a strong #2 on the list. Because of that I don’t expect a remake to come close to matching it. Especially after that horrible 2006 version. Wow, that was an abysmal movie. So, I went into this new remake of Christmas just hoping it would be an improvement.
  
  In the movie, set at mythical Hawthorne College, a group of sorority sisters are staying on campus during the Christmas break. What they don’t realize is that a masked killer is stalking the grounds, murdering women one by one. It’s a pretty standard set up. But this version of Christmas takes a new feminist stance. We learn that main character Riley (Imogen Poots) was assaulted a few years ago at a fraternity party. Since then she’s been timid and unable to find her voice. As the film progresses, she begins to fight back against the dangerous men who are circling her and her sisters.
  
  I liked idea of injecting a strong dose feminism into a horror movie. Unfortunately, the execution is weak. Writer & director Sophia Takal clumsily handles issues of toxic masculinity, #metoo, and patriarchy. It never really comes together. You feel like she is hitting bullet points rather than smoothly incorporating them into the story. Also, this is a horror movie that isn’t very scary at all. There’s a lack of suspense and thrills. Just a couple of jump scares. But then the worst thing is when the big twist is revealed towards the end. It’s just so damn dumb and completely takes the viewer out of the story.
  
  While I appreciate the idea of a new approach to a classic, this one really missed the mark. However, it’s still ten times better than the shitty 2006 version. So, there’s that.
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  Posted in Movies | 0 Comments | Tagged Movies, Remake, Reviews
- Richard Jewell…Review
  
  Posted at 10:45 pm by Geoff, on December 17, 2019
  In the summer of 1996, I was sixteen, living in Atlanta, and about to start my senior year of high school. I also had a job as a clerk at Kroger Video, the local grocery store version of Blockbuster. Yes, that was a thing. I spent most of my days working or watching movies that summer. But, like everyone else in town, I was captivated by the Olympics coming to Atlanta. It was a big deal to be chosen as the host city and everyone was glued to the action. Then things took a dark turn with the bombing in Centennial Park. Having experienced this all firsthand, I was particularly interested in the new movie, Richard Jewell, that depicts the events.
  
  Richard Jewell (Paul Walter Hauser) was a security guard working at Centennial Park during the Olympics. By chance he discovered a suspicious backpack in the park that turned out to be a bomb. Jewell helped to get hundreds of people to safety before the bomb went off. He was declared a hero, until an overzealous FBI agent (Jon Hamm) zeroed in on him as a suspect. Then an unscrupulous journalist (Olivia Wilde) got ahold of the story and ran in on the front page of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Jewell suddenly went from hero to villain.
  
  Hauser does an excellent job of portraying this wronged man. It’s sometimes a subtle performance, but still very effective. He makes you feel angry for his character as he’s targeted by the authorities. Sam Rockwell plays Jewell’s lawyer and brings some much-needed comic relief. Kathy Bates turns in a terrific performance as Jewell’s mother. She is the heart of the film, showing how this ordeal affected those closest to Richard.
  
  What’s most interesting about this story and the movie is how law enforcement and the media, with little to no evidence, railroaded this man. They invaded his home, slandered him, and made his life unbearable. It was all for nothing because he was innocent. Side note, that’s not a spoiler if you remember the story or visit Wikipedia. Six years after the attack, the actual bomber confessed. But for many, Jewell is probably who comes to mind when they think of the bombing. It even took me a second to remember that he didn’t do it when I heard about this movie coming out.
  
  My one complaint is that this history lesson is told with broad strokes and not a great deal of depth. It’s more informative than impactful. Also, Clint Eastwood’s direction comes off as flat. Even the moment when the bomb goes off seems anticlimactic. Similarly, Ham and Wilde’s characters often come off as one note villains. Eastwood could have taken more time to explore their characters and motivations. Despite these faults, I liked the movie and the opportunity to revisit a significant moment from Atlanta’s past.
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  Posted in Movies | 0 Comments | Tagged 90s, Movies, Reviews
- The Irishman…Review
  
  Posted at 8:38 pm by Geoff, on December 16, 2019
  In Martin Scorsese’s latest film, The Irishman, Robert DeNiro plays Frank Sheeran, a truck driver turned mob hit man. Over the course of several years Frank becomes deeply involved with crime boss Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci) as well as Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino), the infamous leader of the Brotherhood of Teamsters. These relationships shape Frank’s life in both promising and harmful ways.
  
  Here’s the thing, I enjoyed this film. Visually and stylistically it’s fantastic. That’s no surprise when you consider the director. The talent on-camera is equally amazing. It’s a who’s who of iconic Oscar-winning actors. And surely this film will pick up a lot of awards. Now, do I ever need to watch it again? Nope. For one, there’s the excessive 3.5 hour runtime. Thankfully Netflix made this movie because I can’t imagine watching it in the theater. They could have stopped at 2.5, may 3 hours tops. It’s a lot of movie. That doesn’t make it the most exciting though. A bunch of things happen and plot points are explored, but I wasn’t riveted by all of it and a few times I was actually bored. There’s also the feeling that you’ve seen this all before. A mob story that takes place in the past, directed by Scorsese, and starring DeNiro, Pacino, and Pesci. Sound familiar? It’s like a greatest hits album.
  
  In any event, I’d recommend seeing The Irishman. It’s an impressive film. But be prepared for its bloated, déjà vu inducing qualities.
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  Posted in Movies | 2 Comments | Tagged 60s, 70s, Movies, Reviews
- Motherless Brooklyn…Review
  
  Posted at 5:49 pm by Geoff, on November 11, 2019
  It’s rare to see a current film set in the past that feels so incredibly authentic to the time period it’s trying to recreate. I experienced this recently with the new feature Motherless Brooklyn. Instantly, the audience is fully immersed in the 1950s with the cinematography, production design, and costumes taking you into that world.
  
  The film, set in New York circa 1957, focuses on Lionel (Edward Norton) a young man working at a detective agency headed by his idol, Frank Minna (Bruce Willis). At the start of the movie, we see Frank investigating a secret case that ultimately gets him killed. Lionel takes it upon himself to solve his boss’ murder. Over the course of a few days, he follows clues that lead him down a dark trail through a city filled with complex characters. There’s an extremely corrupt public official (Alec Baldwin), a brilliant engineer with secrets (Willem Dafoe), and an activist (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) fighting for the disenfranchised citizens of New York. They all tie together in a series of twists and turns.
  
  Norton wrote, produced, and directed Brooklyn, a passion project that has been in the making for 20 years. You can tell that he has loved and nurtured this film for decades. The writing is intelligent and the direction is precise. He also delivers on the acting front. Lionel is an emotionally scarred man with Tourette’s syndrome. He can’t control his ticks or the random offensive words that come out of his mouth. A lesser actor could have hammed this up and gone really big. But Norton makes Lionel a fully formed person and not a caricature. The supporting players also enrich the material. Mbatha-Raw, in particular, is quiet yet effective in her portrayal of Laura.
  
  The book, of the same name, that Brooklyn was adapted from came out in the 90s and was set in that decade. Norton made the decision to change the time period because it worked well with the 50s film noir feel of the story. It was great choice. This film is on par with the classics that were actually released in that era.
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  Posted in Movies | 0 Comments | Tagged 50s, Movies, Reviews
- JoJo Rabbit…Review
  
  Posted at 5:49 pm by Geoff, on October 25, 2019
  JoJo Rabbit is both a dark satire and a heartwarming coming of age film. It’s hard to imagine those two very different genres coming together, but writer/director Taika Waititi makes it work.
  
  The film centers on JoJo Betzler (Roman Griffin Davis), a ten-year-old growing up in Germany during World War II. He is obsessed with the Nazi party, so much so that his imaginary friend is Adolf Hitler (Waititi pulling triple duty). This goofy childish version of Hitler urges JoJo on when he feels discouraged or scared. He’s a helpful imaginary friend, aside from being evil of course.
  
  JoJo’s mother, Rosie (Scarlett Johansson), does not share his political views. He discovers that she’s hiding a teenage Jewish girl, Elsa (Thomasin McKenzie), behind a wall in their house. He threatens to turn Elsa in, but she warns him that Rosie will be punished as well if that happens. JoJo reluctantly accepts Elsa in his home and learns more about her and Jews in general. He begins to question the teachings of the Nazi party as he forms a friendship with someone who is supposed to be his enemy.
  
  JoJo marks Davis’ film debut. It’s impressive that such a young actor in their first role would be able to handle it so expertly. He’s in almost every scene and carries himself like a seasoned professional. McKenzie and Johansson are equally strong. There’s also a great supporting performance from Sam Rockwell as JoJo’s eccentric instructor.
  
  Over the course of the film we see JoJo grow in ways he wasn’t expecting. Having Elsa thrown into his life allows him to see another viewpoint and to become more compassionate. It’s a touching evolution. Then there’s the satire where Waititi shows how insane and ridiculous the Nazis can be. Some audience members made be offended by having a wacky version of Hitler, but his ideologies are shown to be dangerous as well as buffoonish. You can laugh at him and be repelled at the same time. Waititi expertly combines a mix of emotions and tones in order to create an engaging film.
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  Posted in Movies | 0 Comments | Tagged 40s, Movies, Reviews
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