Movies Extravaganza 18: THE MARVELS, WISH, RUSTIN, MAY DECEMBER, SHARE?, PRISCILLA …

ORIGINALLY POSTED NOVEMBER 2023

THE MARVELS| Marvel Studio | Writer/Director Nia DaCosta  
Co-Writers Megan McDonnell & Elissa Karasik

Click Image to hear Ariana Debose perform “This Wish”

WISH | Disney | Directors Chris Buck & Fawn Veerasunthorn
Screenplay Jennifer Lee & Allison Moore
Music Dave Metzger (score) Julia Michaels (songs) Benjamin Rice (songs)

King Magnifico and his wife Queen Amaya establish the kingdom of Rosas on an island in the Mediterranean Sea. Having studied sorcery, Magnifico is able to grant the greatest desires of his subjects, who each give up the memory of their wishes to be sealed and protected by the king until he can grant them. Once in a month, as a ceremonial event, Magnifico chooses one wish to be granted. 17-year-old Asha prepares to interview for the job of Magnifico’s apprentice on the day of her grandfather Sabino’s 100th birthday, hoping Magnifico will grant Sabino’s wish. The interview goes well until Asha requests for Sabino’s wish to be granted, which Magnifico declines, seeing the wish’s elusiveness as a potential threat to his power. Asha realizes Magnifico never intends to return the ungranted wishes to their owners, and when she questions his methods, Magnifico refuses to accept her apprenticeship or grant any of her family members’ wishes.

Asha tries but fails to convince her family that Magnifico is deceiving them. Distraught, she makes her own wish on a star. To her surprise, the star descends from the sky in a form of an anthropomorphic ball of light, which Asha names Star… READ MORE  Wiki

What did I (LeAnne) think?  4 outta 5  –  I liked the storyline.  I hear a lot of critics saying feels like Disney propaganda and too many 100th Anniversary Easter Eggs. I didn’t feel that at all.  The little homages to Disney’s beloved past blended in nicely and didn’t distract from the current movie for me.  The villain, Magnifico (Chris Pine) has an interesting arc. In his quest to protect people from the heartbreak of not being able to manifest their dreams, he takes away their desire and gives them a good, safe, happy life on a multi-cultural island. It seemed like a good deal to me, so at first I too felt Asha is just stirring up unnecessary trouble asking about the ungranted wishes. But of course, as they say, absolute power, corrupts absolutely – Manifico’s ego completely wipes out his original good intentions.

My complaints, although each song fits perfectly for the scene, there’s no stand out tunes. At least not on first listen, but then again, I felt ENCANTO‘s “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” was just a very basic, forgettable tango, and that became huge, so…  And let’s be clear, my song critique is not a reflection on the fantastically talented Ariana Debose 🤩  My second issue, I’m not crazy about the animation style of Star, he’s too cutesy and fat, just not how I’d picture a wishing star, but I realize he’s drawn that way to appeal to the young tykes.  I am however, crazy about the wonderful message of WISH – never blindly allow anyone to have control over you, even when it may seem in your best interest, always ask questions, and resist if necessary!

RUSTIN| Netflix /The Obama’s Higher Ground | Director George C. Wolfe
Writers Julian Breece & Dustin Lance Black

The 1963 March on Washington did not merely come together on its own via a whim, a wish, and good will. It took years of strategizing, planning, building coalitions, dodging bureaucratic obstacles and opponents both within and outside the burgeoning Civil Rights Movement. Students and veteran activists worked phone lines, sweated over the details (how many latrines do we need? how many can we get?), and sought out allies of all stripes from across the country. What happened on that hot day in the District of Columbia on August 28th was due to the combined effort of dozens of people who banded together for a common cause. Yet it’s not inaccurate to say that it was one person in particular who helped turn the rally in the nation’s capital from a lot of theoretical ideas on a whiteboard into a world-shaking event. READ MORE  by David Fear, RollingStone.com

Colman Domingo is charismatic and dynamic enough to transcend the limitations of a script that too often passes by as a stream of sharp, quotable quotes and monologues. The script’s insistence on functioning like a quote book feels more overtly theatrical in contrast to the film’s attempt at a kind of passive realism. But Domingo splits the difference, balancing the showy gestural qualities of his character with an attempt to ground the words in something tactile, curling his lips around every word… READ MORE by Kyle Turner, SlantMagazine.com

The sixth issue of SEEN, BlackStar Project’s twice-annual journal celebrating Black, Brown, and Indigenous film and visual culture, includes an in-depth profile of actor and cover star Colman Domingo by Tre Johnson. Select pieces from Seen 006 can be read online.

What did I (LeAnne) think?  3.5 outta 5 – I think it’s incredibly insidious the way this important figure in Civil Rights History was nearly erased because of his sexual orientation.  I’ll never understand why that has mattered so much throughout history. As long as it’s two consenting adults, it shouldn’t have ever or continue to have any bearing on what you do outside of the bedroom. But that’s an age old discussion which never truly gets resolved, no matter how many equal rights laws are passed.  In terms of the movie, completely agree, this is a tour-de-force role for Philly’s own Colman Domingo. But I’ll admit I wasn’t fully engaged in the scenes the first 15-20 minutes, then as momentum picked up, I found myself swept up into the politics and renewed remembrance of the importance of the movement, similar to how I felt watching SELMA. I wonder why Juneteenth was chosen as the National holiday instead of Aug 28th? Because the March on Washington really has more relevant significance.

MAY DECEMBER| Netflix  | Director Todd Haynes |
Writers Samy Burch & Alex Mechanik

If you were in reach of a TV or a tabloid in the ’90s, you probably remember the case of Mary Kay Letourneau, the Washington state schoolteacher who was convicted of raping her sixth-grade student Vili Fualaau. Fualaau was 12 when Letourneau, 34, first had sex with him. They had two children, one of whom was born while Letourneau was in prison. After her release in 2004, she and the now-adult Fualauu wed and were married for 14 years until their separation. Letourneau died of cancer in 2020. The dark and sometimes disturbingly funny new movie May December was inspired by the Letourneau-Fualaau story, though it never mentions them by name… READ MORE by Justin Chang, Fresh Air

The film follows actress Elizabeth Berry (Natalie Portman) as she casts a dark, chilly cloud over Gracie (Julianne Moore) and Joe’s (Charles Melton) sunny, sultry Savannah home. Elizabeth is there to dredge up their past for an upcoming film project in which she will play Gracie. At first, Elizabeth seems like a stand-in for the audience, but as the film unravels, appearances prove to be deceptive. Meanwhile, director Todd Haynes employs a thrillingly sensationalist style that further throws us off balance, resulting in one of the most blackly comic, sneakily heartbreaking films of the year…. READ MORE by Sam Watermeier, Midwest Film Journal

As such, while the film is humorous, its heavy subject matter and vividly defined characters constantly create an unsettling feeling that makes May December difficult to sit through. The decision to set the film during the end of Gracie’s and Joe’s kids’ high school experience, culminating in their graduation, is genius. It makes viewers constantly question how the couple made it to this point–what events befell them as their three children grew up, whether their relationship dynamic has always been like this and how they’ve fared with the press/public. While the story stays in the present, with every moment, you can feel the past seeping into the characters’ actions and dialogue as they realize that their lives are darker than they thought. But maybe they knew that all along. With Haynes’ smart direction and writer Samy Burch’s layered script, either is possible… READ MORE by Kaveh Jalinous, Under The Radar Magazine

Click Image for Interview with Julianne Moore & Natalie Portman

What did I (LeAnne) think?  3.5 outta 5  – I’ve never seen any of Todd Haynes early films with Julianne Moore (Far From Heaven and Safe) I’ll have to seek these out. The first of his movies I saw was Carol (2015) and then Wonderstruck (2017) both of those films held a certain gravitas which made me question at first Haynes’ interest in directing May December, which on the surface felt so TV movie of the week, but that’s the point. As the film progresses you realize that’s the veneer, but there’s so much more underneath. I was particularly impressed with Portman’s character who manages to seem like a humble actress, just so grateful for being invited into this family’s home and confidence. Until you realize she’s a real shit stirrer and narcissist.

Moore’s Gracie is an even bigger narcissist, so the two women have met their match. It’s Gracie’s kids, both from her first marriage and current that you feel for, as they had no choice in being collateral damage to their mother’s bad judgement; not to mention, Gracie’s very manipulative in the way she speaks to them.  When it comes to her marriage, it’s completely understandable when she treats Joe like another one of her kids, considering their circumstances; but it’s unsettling when you see that Joe feels responsible for her; as she’s prone to irrational breakdowns and is unemployable. That was something I questioned – they don’t seem to be monetarily stressed about having 3 kids in college, they lived in such a nice house in a lovely area. I don’t see how you can do that on Joe’s X-ray technician salary, and her cake baking from time to time for the nicer of her neighbors guilted into purchasing. Small matter. On the whole, I enjoyed this character driven movie delivered with smart, black comedic timing.

SHARE?| XYZ Films | Writer/Director Ira Rosensweig | Co-Writer Benjamin Sutor

A high concept exploration of human social connectivity by way of a Kafkaesque set of Sci-Fi circumstances in which a man finds himself alone and stripped of all possessions except for a basic computer and the ability to command prompt SHARE? – Dubbed “Impressive AF!” by Steven Soderbergh, SHARE? is the first feature film ever to be shot entirely from one fixed camera angle. The filmmakers innovated new systems, integrating cameras, teleprompters, and live event technology to allow physically isolated actors to fully interact both with each other and the computer interface central to the story in real-time while giving the director and crew a precise pre-visualization of the finished product. Innovation continued all the way through post, as they devised novel systems to create the final computer interface and edit the picture-in-picture windows. – Share? Production Notes

What did I (LeAnne) think?  4 outta 5 – It’s certainly a budget friendly way to shoot a film, and it’s also eerily effective. I will admit, I was thinking of giving up after the first 10 minutes, because for us as the viewer, the perspective of the text is backwards on the screen, which is mildly frustrating, as you have to train your eyes to read what the computer screen is telling the prisoner in reverse. But eventually you get past this or get better at it and start to appreciate the scifi concept of the film.  An unnamed young man (Melvin Gregg) wakes up on the floor in his underwear in a dimly lighted, sterile room, pretty much a prison cell without bars, just blank walls, evoking a tech feel. The back wall provides a urinal and a small shower. The front wall, which we see from behind, contains a computer screen and there’s a keyboard. The guy starts to try to communicate, wondering who’s on the other side?  Can he reach the outside world? Anyone! Of course he wants answers about why he’s been incarcerated in this manner and after a couple of days he becomes frustrated with the prompts being shown and nearly goes a little mad.  Eventually, he begins to understand that when the screen flashes the prompt Share? he’s supposed to do something entertaining. He starts with pratfalls and farts, by doing so, a points system at the top of the screen starts increasing, like a game on your phone. It allows him to earn creature comforts like good food, an air mattress, clothes etc…  There’s also things that detract points. 

Just when you think okay, but how will this movie sustain itself? A picture-in-picture view appears on the screen with another prisoner (Bradley Whitford). At first Gregg’s character thinks this is his jailer, but he’s just an older, philosophical guy who doesn’t know much more about why he’s there, just that he’s been there a very long time and knows a few more Command Prompts.  They strike up a sometimes contentious friendship until another new prisoner, female (Alice Braga) breaks into their twosome. Her fierce, no-nonsense demeanor ushers in a new dynamic between the guys. It seems there’s some people who ostensibly become your cellmates, but you can also channel in other prisoners through certain prompts and see what they’re doing and give them points, as they do you. In this way, the popularity and comfort of each inmates is determined by the others.

I saw a couple mixed reviews on this movie, which is a shame because I think it’s very well-done, and I became completely engrossed, not so much in the outcome, but the day to day for these people and how the system worked.  Ultimately, obviously, the filmmakers are making a social commentary on Influencers, and social platforms, particularly YouTube, and how we seem to be so captured by these services and devices, rewarding each other with likes, comments and views, perpetuating the whole thing. I don’t feel the movie intends to make a hard commentary, more of an analogy, one I found to be clever.

PRISCILLA| A24 | Writer/Director Sofia Coppola | Book Elvis and Me by Priscilla Presley & Sandra Harmon

It has been a little over a year since Baz Luhrmann’s psychedelic biography, “Elvis,” graced theaters, and in that short amount of time, already another movie that relates to the life of the King of Rock and Roll has been released. While Luhrmann relied on style and energy to propel his film forward, Sofia Coppola exercises restraint in “Priscilla.” Patiently, she guides the audience through the highs and lows of Priscilla’s experience — a life often isolated and lonely, and at other times suffocated by a controlling and manipulative presence. Cailee Spaeny’s quietly captivating performance as Priscilla is coupled with Coppola’s brilliant filmmaking, painting an intricate portrait of a high-profile relationship… READ MORE by J.J. Moore, The Harvard Crimson

Coppola’s character studies of both Priscilla and Elvis are fairly shallow. The balance of the film feels heavily weighted to the first half, which moves briskly, and becomes a weird slog in the second. Then, it ends somewhat suddenly, with resolution but little revelation. What are we supposed to take from the life of Priscilla Presley?  … The film doesn’t need historical accuracy, but it desperately yearns for emotional specificity. Surely, there was more to glean from the book? There’s little else Spaeny can project in such a spare script… READ MORE by Kevin Nguyen, theverge.com  

A fan of pills of all kinds, he gives her something to sleep that ends up knocking her out for two days. He flies into a rage during a pillow fight, hitting her accidentally, or perhaps not, in the face. He wants their union to be chaste until marriage; and then, after their consummation results in a child, Lisa Marie, he refuses to touch her.   It all sounds horrible, and it is. But Coppola makes it clear, as Elvis and Me does, that nestled within the darkness of this union was an incomparable tenderness, something Priscilla could never get over… READ MORE by Stephanie Zacharek, TIME.com

What did I (LeAnne) think?  3.5 outta 5  – I agree with all of the above critics both praise and criticism. Originally I thought I wish Coppola had cast Austin Butler to play Elvis again; but once you get into the film, you realize that would have been all wrong. Butler played an outstanding stage Elvis, bigger than life Elvis, but this quieter, Graceland Elvis Presley needed Jacob Elordi to embody this vantage point. Cailee Spaeny as Priscilla delivers a lovely, thoughtful performance. However, when you look back at the images of early Priscilla, she didn’t really appear to look that young. So many teens in the 1960’s could be mistaken for adults of 21-25. Yet Spaeny looks every inch 14 years of age at the beginning of the movie and looks like a kid playing dress up as she begins to come of age. But I feel my main complaint of the movie is that I didn’t learn anything new about the wife of Elvis, other than that they slept in the same bed for years and he never touched her until she turned 21 and they married. But since she had no one to confide in and we don’t experience her writing in a journal, we pretty much just witness everything we already knew about the pair, which left me a bit dissatisfied.