La La Land **** (2016)

By sheer force of will alone, Damien Chazelle's La La Land charms and entertains. Shot in beautiful technicolor that includes a quiver of cinematic flourishes, and two passionate performances from Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, La La Land reminds us movies can still be magical.  Unashamedly retro without being derivative, it's nostalgia in the best sense of the word.  

The opening sequence recalls old Hollywood magic as a traffic jam on the L.A. freeway morphs into a grand song and dance sequence.  Jazz music figures into the story as well, a reminder of what culture can be and what is lost if we don't cherish it. Gosling plays a struggling jazz piano player Sebastian enamored with the history of jazz, a romantic who wants to keep the art form alive.  When a rival musician played by John Legend, chides him for being a traditionalist and not a revolutionary, Sebastian reluctantly agrees.

Meanwhile Mia (Emma Stone) is a struggling actress looking for her big break. She meets Sebastian and they get together in what may be a star crossed romance.  As his career takes off and Mia's slows down their relationship gets tested.  The story might sound thin, but La La Land is anything but that.  Each sequence after another brightens the screen with sound and color.

The title La La Land seems subversive in itself, daring audiences to take it seriously. Don't be fooled, bittersweet themes roam beneath the surface as well, for the story deals with a fading musical genre in the form of a fading film genre.  But La La Land banishes cynicism with a mere wave of the hand, like The Wizard of Oz, it dwells in the possibilities of dreams. 

De Palma *** (2016)

Filmmakers Noah Baumbach and Jake Paltrow sat down with legendary director Brian De Palma to discuss his long and varied career.  A native New Yorker, De Palma attended Columbia Film School and was a contemporary of Martin Scorsese. Like many of his generation De Palma started out by making "arty" low budget films. His early efforts like Greetings (1968) and Hi Mom! (1970) were inspired by the French New Wave and featured a young Robert De Niro.  A Hitchcock disciple, De Palma modeled his early style on the master of suspense, most notably in the thrillers Sisters (1973), Obsession (1976), and Carrie (1976). DePalma also talks about his friendships with Steven Spielberg and George Lucas.  De Palma famously ripped Star Wars apart when Lucas screened it for his friends, with the hilarious comment, "What's All This Force Shit?" To his credit, De Palma helped Lucas by writing the iconic opening crawl. Ironically, like Lucas, De Palma focused on making Box Office Hits in the 1980s. Many of his best movies under performed upon their initial release such as Blow Out (1981) and Scarface (1983), both are now considered triumphs of form and style.  Others were notorious flops like The Bonfire of the Vanities (1991) and the Sci-Fi misfire Mission to Mars (2000). In any case, DePalma has created a diverse body of work that any film fan should check out.  An excellent overview of the man and his work, De Palma is bolstered by compelling clips and the subject's forthright honesty about his craft.  

My Top Five Brian DePalma Movies:

1) Blow Out (1981) - John Travolta stars as sound engineer who may have witnessed a political assassination. One of the last great paranoid thrillers, unrelenting edge of your seat suspense told from a world weary perspective.
2) The Untouchables (1987) One of De Palma's most successful films, a potboiler on the 1930s battle between G-Man Elliot Ness (Kevin Costner) and Chicago gangster Al Capone (Robert De Niro).  
3) Carrie (1976) - One of the best adaptations ever made of a Stephen King novel that deals with High School bullying and telekinesis.
4) Casualties of War (1989) A worthwhile Vietnam film on the immorality of that conflict.
5) Scarface (1983) Another mob epic on the rise and fall of a Cuban gangster played by Al Pacino in an over the top performance.  One of the essential movies on 1980s excess.

I still need to see Phantom of the Paradise (1974) and Raising Cain (1991).

The Infiltrator (2016) **

The Infiltrator tells the true story of Robert Mazur, a Custom Services Special Agent who in the 1980s worked undercover as a money launderer for the Mexican drug cartels.  Bryan Cranston stars as Mazur in a sort of in-joke performance as the antithesis of his Breaking Bad protagonist Walter White. But the direction, editing, and script are jumpy and fail to establish any momentum.  Mazur is a family man on the verge of retirement who decides to continue his undercover work to bring down Pablo Escobar's drug empire. The story frequently makes awkward transitions between Mazur's dangerous occupation and relatively stable family life. As the film rushes through these plot points there's a total lack of coherence. Fast pace editing when done right can make for dynamic filmmaking, here the frenetic pace induces boredom.  The Infiltrator covers ground done much better in countless other films, most notably Donnie Brasco and Blow. Go back and watch some Breaking Bad episodes.

My Top Ten Films from 2016

Here's a list of my top ten favorite films from 2016.  While 2016 was not as strong as 2015, especially the summer releases, the year rebounded in the fall with some stellar films.

10.Keanu (Dir. Peter Atencio)

9. Hacksaw Ridge (Dir. Mel Gibson)

8. Cafe Society (Dir. Woody Allen)

7. Free State of Jones (Dir. Gary Ross)

6. The Witch (Dir. Robert Eggers)

5. Sully (Dir. Clint Eastwood)

4. 10 Cloverfield  Lane (Dir. Dan Trachtenberg)

3. The Nice Guys (Dir. Shane Black)

2. Fences (Dir. Denzel Washington)

1. Manchester by the Sea (Dir. Kenneth Lonergan)

A Tribute: Carrie Fisher (1956-2016)

The year 2016 continues to take so many beloved cultural figures away from us.  The news of Carrie Fisher's passing earlier this afternoon continued the melancholy trend of this infamous year.

The daughter of Hollywood stars Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher, Carrie grew up an introverted child who preferred the world of books.  As a teenager she followed her mother's footsteps and pursued acting, making her screen debut in the Warren Beatty film Shampoo.  

After the overwhelming success of Star Wars Fisher became known to the entire world as Princess Leia. When casting for Star Wars the director George Lucas narrowed the field down to trios of actors and eventually decided on Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, Harrison Ford as Han Solo, and Fisher as Leia.  In a special effects heavy film, their three performances added humor and humanity.  Fisher did an amazing job of portraying a strong and brave heroine. 

In the next two episodes The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi she continued to add depth to the role.  Fisher consistently lamented giving her likeness away for merchandising purposes, but always kept a sense of humor about it.  And she was never one to dismiss Star Wars as childish entertainment, but always treated fans and the material with respect.

Outside of Star Wars, Fisher made many more memorable appearances in film and television. She hosted a classic episode of Saturday Night Live, and had notable roles in The Blues Brothers, The Burbs, and When Harry Met Sally. In 2015 she returned as Princess Leia in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Fisher also established herself as a talented writer in the 1980s with her excellent autobiographical novel Postcards from the Edge.  She was also a much sought out "script doctor" for several movies including Hook and Sister Act.

It's impossible to imagine the original Star Wars films without her, Fisher contributed a special spark and charm to those movies that will be remembered and loved for decades to come.

Rouge One: A Star Wars Story ** (2016)

The first of the spin off films to the Star Wars franchise is a dreary and occasionally entertaining entry into the series.  Set before the events of the 1977 original film, Rogue One follows the group of rebels who stole the plans to the Death Star, the plot point that drove the original film.  For starters, these characters simply aren't that memorable, they are fighters and warriors and most of their dialogue simply advances the plot.  Felicity Jones as Jyn Erso, the orphan leader of the band, completely lacks personality and dimension. Action takes precedent over character development much to the film's detriment. The jokey charm of the George Lucas films is almost totally absent.  I understand that the creators are trying to expand the universe and add more depth to Star Wars, but for the most part Rogue One plays as above average fan fiction. It was well publicized that Disney ordered re-shoots and that's never a good sign. The editing gets rather jerky as they hop from planet to planet.  There are a couple memorable moments, but those are references to the previous films.  Darth Vader appears and has one great scene, but the rest is mediocre Star Wars.  

Manchester by the Sea **** (2016)

There's a quiet emotional stream running through Manchester by the Sea that stays with you long after watching the film.  Starring Casey Affleck as Lee, a handy man in a working class town, who withdrew from life for reasons that become apparent as the story unfolds. After Lee's older brother Joe (Kyle Chandler) succumbs to heart disease he's named the guardian of Joe's teenage son Patrick (Lucas Hedges), a popular hockey athlete at the high school. Through flashbacks it's revealed that Joe was the more responsible brother and was well respected by the community, while Lee went into exile.  Michelle Williams co-stars as Lee's damaged ex-wife, but only appears in a few scenes. Quite simply, Manchester by the Sea is a film that must be experienced. Realistic and emotionally complex.  As we get to know the characters we see their dignity and flaws. The acting, especially by Casey Affleck, is about as good as you'll ever see. Relationships evolve and life goes on.The music of Lesley Barber contributes a spiritual component.  Kenneth Lonergan's writing and direction are a series of small moments that add up to something powerful - and meaningful.