by Josh Sewell
Malcolm & Marie
(Rated R for pervasive language and sexual content. Available on Netflix February 5.)
This uneven yet compelling drama from filmmaker Sam Levinson (HBO’s Euphoria) has the distinction of being the first feature to be entirely written, financed and produced during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the intimate story ends up benefitting from quarantine conditions that might hamstring a larger shoot, it certainly helps that the movie isn’t about the virus at all.
Instead, Malcolm & Marie takes place during an intense night in the lives of the titular characters, when long-simmering resentments in their toxic relationship finally explode. Malcolm (John David Washington) is a filmmaker returning home from the big premiere of his buzzed-about new movie, which is on track to be a critical and financial success. Marie (Zendaya) is his insanely patient girlfriend, who is doing her best to keep him grounded and prevent his meteoric rise from going to his head.
When a combination of alcohol, anger and pent-up grudges lead to an epic argument, the couple must decide whether their relationship is strong enough to survive the painful words they hurl at one another.
Although Malcolm & Marie gets off to a bumpy start due to some cringey monologues (the temptation to bail will likely prove too strong for many viewers, especially since it’s on Netflix), eventually things leveled out long enough for me to emotionally invest in the characters. That’s primarily due to the phenomenal performances at the heart of the film.
Zendaya and Washington are outstanding, elevating Levinson’s pretentious dialogue to a somewhat more authentic level. Although Malcolm and Marie’s frequent speechifying comes off as far too polished, the actors’ commitment to the truth at the heart of their characters ultimately allow the nearly-two-hour fight to seem like it comes from a genuine, emotional place.
While the film operates in a heightened reality, Zendaya and Washington ground the proceedings when Levinson’s ostentatious flourishes threatens to derail it at every narrative turn. They also get plenty of help from Marcell Rev’s stunning black-and-white cinematography and some well-placed needle drops.
Unfortunately, once the central conflict resolves itself (well, the best it can under the circumstances), the film continues to sputter on for another 10 minutes or so. That’s a shame considering the was a perfect moment to end it just a bit earlier – the screen even goes white and the score kicks in. I silently hoped the credits would roll, but instead there are a few more anticlimactic scenes to go.
Grade: B-
Book Review: Mike Nichols: A Life
Mark Harris, an esteemed entertainment journalist and former executive editor of Entertainment Weekly, has already penned two acclaimed books, including one that was adapted into a Netflix documentary series. However, his latest work – a fascinating, in-depth biography of legendary director Mike Nichols that hit stores earlier this week – might be the best thing he’s ever written.
I was fortunate enough to receive an advanced copy and I devoured it in a few days. That’s no small feat considering the tome’s size and the damage quarantining throughout this pandemic has done to my attention span. All credit goes to Harris’ deceptively understated writing style.
He lures readers in with his vivid description of Nichols’ early life (when he was Igor Peschkowsky, a Berlin-born kid who barely escaped the murderous Nazi regime when he immigrated to America in 1939) and nonchalant revelations that a less talented author might’ve treated as trashy gossip. However, he uses those elements as a springboard into a nuanced, multifaceted examination of a man who conquered the worlds of film and theater while fighting private battles with depression and addiction that cost him friendships, marriages and staggering amounts of money.
During his exhaustive research process, Harris interviewed approximately 250 people who worked closely with Nichols to paint a full picture of both the man and the artist. Those include longtime friend and improv partner Elaine May; frequent collaborator Meryl Streep; Stephen Sondheim; Robert Redford; Glenn Close; Tom Hanks; Candice Bergen; Emma Thompson, Annette Bening; Natalie Portman; Julia Roberts; Lorne Michaels; Gloria Steinem; and Tony Kushner, author of the epic masterpiece Angels in America (who also happens to be Harris’ husband).
Through stories and insights from Nichols’ fellow artists, Harris is able to convey the filmmaker’s life in a manner that, as clichéd as it sounds, makes the book impossible to put down. It’s one of the greatest biographies I’ve ever read, and I was genuinely sad when it ended. Not just because it marked the conclusion of Nichols’ life and career (during which he earned Emmys, Grammys, an Oscar, and a slew of nominations), but also because I knew I was going to miss Harris’ writing.
If you’re even remotely a fan of film, television, or theater, I can’t recommend Mike Nichols: A Life enough. I haven’t stopped raving about it for weeks.
Grade: A+
Blu-ray Spotlight: Let Him Go and Love Story
Let Him Go
(Rated R for violence. Available now.)
Set in the early 1960s, writer-director Thomas Bezucha’s domestic thriller centers on retired sheriff George Blackledge (Kevin Costner) and his wife Margaret (Diane Lane), who are content to live in solitude on their Montana ranch. After their son James (Ryan Bruce) is killed in a tragic accident, the couple’s grief is magnified when James’ wife Lorna (Kayli Carter) quickly remarries and takes their young grandson (twins Bram and Otto Hornung) to live closer to her new husband’s family in North Dakota. When the Blackledges decide to pay them a surprise visit, discover that the dangerous Weboy family – headed by unflinching matriarch Blanche (Lesley Manville) – has no intention of letting them near Lorna or the boy.
Special Features: three making-of featurettes focusing on the cast, crew and production design.
Love Story
(Rated PG for language and a love scene. Available February 9.)
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the iconic melodrama starring Ryan O’Neal and Ali MacGraw (who both received Oscar nominations for), Paramount is releasing a new remastered Blu-ray under its Paramount Presents specialty label. The film introduces audiences to Harvard students Oliver (O’Neal) and Jenny (MacGraw), who fall in love despite their differing backgrounds. Despite Oliver’s wealthy father threatening to disown him, the young couple marries and begins a new life together – but fate has other plans.
Special Features: New 4K restoration of the film; interview with film historian Leonard Maltin; audio commentary by director Arthur Hiller; introduction by film critic Ben Mankiewicz; behind-the-scenes featurette; theatrical trailer; collectible packaging that includes a foldout image of the film’s theatrical poster, and an interior spread with key movie moments.
Reach out to Josh Sewell on Twitter @IAmJoshSewell
(Rated R for pervasive language and sexual content. Available on Netflix February 5.)
This uneven yet compelling drama from filmmaker Sam Levinson (HBO’s Euphoria) has the distinction of being the first feature to be entirely written, financed and produced during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the intimate story ends up benefitting from quarantine conditions that might hamstring a larger shoot, it certainly helps that the movie isn’t about the virus at all.
Instead, Malcolm & Marie takes place during an intense night in the lives of the titular characters, when long-simmering resentments in their toxic relationship finally explode. Malcolm (John David Washington) is a filmmaker returning home from the big premiere of his buzzed-about new movie, which is on track to be a critical and financial success. Marie (Zendaya) is his insanely patient girlfriend, who is doing her best to keep him grounded and prevent his meteoric rise from going to his head.
When a combination of alcohol, anger and pent-up grudges lead to an epic argument, the couple must decide whether their relationship is strong enough to survive the painful words they hurl at one another.
Although Malcolm & Marie gets off to a bumpy start due to some cringey monologues (the temptation to bail will likely prove too strong for many viewers, especially since it’s on Netflix), eventually things leveled out long enough for me to emotionally invest in the characters. That’s primarily due to the phenomenal performances at the heart of the film.
Zendaya and Washington are outstanding, elevating Levinson’s pretentious dialogue to a somewhat more authentic level. Although Malcolm and Marie’s frequent speechifying comes off as far too polished, the actors’ commitment to the truth at the heart of their characters ultimately allow the nearly-two-hour fight to seem like it comes from a genuine, emotional place.
While the film operates in a heightened reality, Zendaya and Washington ground the proceedings when Levinson’s ostentatious flourishes threatens to derail it at every narrative turn. They also get plenty of help from Marcell Rev’s stunning black-and-white cinematography and some well-placed needle drops.
Unfortunately, once the central conflict resolves itself (well, the best it can under the circumstances), the film continues to sputter on for another 10 minutes or so. That’s a shame considering the was a perfect moment to end it just a bit earlier – the screen even goes white and the score kicks in. I silently hoped the credits would roll, but instead there are a few more anticlimactic scenes to go.
Grade: B-
Mark Harris, an esteemed entertainment journalist and former executive editor of Entertainment Weekly, has already penned two acclaimed books, including one that was adapted into a Netflix documentary series. However, his latest work – a fascinating, in-depth biography of legendary director Mike Nichols that hit stores earlier this week – might be the best thing he’s ever written.
I was fortunate enough to receive an advanced copy and I devoured it in a few days. That’s no small feat considering the tome’s size and the damage quarantining throughout this pandemic has done to my attention span. All credit goes to Harris’ deceptively understated writing style.
He lures readers in with his vivid description of Nichols’ early life (when he was Igor Peschkowsky, a Berlin-born kid who barely escaped the murderous Nazi regime when he immigrated to America in 1939) and nonchalant revelations that a less talented author might’ve treated as trashy gossip. However, he uses those elements as a springboard into a nuanced, multifaceted examination of a man who conquered the worlds of film and theater while fighting private battles with depression and addiction that cost him friendships, marriages and staggering amounts of money.
During his exhaustive research process, Harris interviewed approximately 250 people who worked closely with Nichols to paint a full picture of both the man and the artist. Those include longtime friend and improv partner Elaine May; frequent collaborator Meryl Streep; Stephen Sondheim; Robert Redford; Glenn Close; Tom Hanks; Candice Bergen; Emma Thompson, Annette Bening; Natalie Portman; Julia Roberts; Lorne Michaels; Gloria Steinem; and Tony Kushner, author of the epic masterpiece Angels in America (who also happens to be Harris’ husband).
Through stories and insights from Nichols’ fellow artists, Harris is able to convey the filmmaker’s life in a manner that, as clichéd as it sounds, makes the book impossible to put down. It’s one of the greatest biographies I’ve ever read, and I was genuinely sad when it ended. Not just because it marked the conclusion of Nichols’ life and career (during which he earned Emmys, Grammys, an Oscar, and a slew of nominations), but also because I knew I was going to miss Harris’ writing.
If you’re even remotely a fan of film, television, or theater, I can’t recommend Mike Nichols: A Life enough. I haven’t stopped raving about it for weeks.
Grade: A+
Blu-ray Spotlight: Let Him Go and Love Story
(Rated R for violence. Available now.)
Set in the early 1960s, writer-director Thomas Bezucha’s domestic thriller centers on retired sheriff George Blackledge (Kevin Costner) and his wife Margaret (Diane Lane), who are content to live in solitude on their Montana ranch. After their son James (Ryan Bruce) is killed in a tragic accident, the couple’s grief is magnified when James’ wife Lorna (Kayli Carter) quickly remarries and takes their young grandson (twins Bram and Otto Hornung) to live closer to her new husband’s family in North Dakota. When the Blackledges decide to pay them a surprise visit, discover that the dangerous Weboy family – headed by unflinching matriarch Blanche (Lesley Manville) – has no intention of letting them near Lorna or the boy.
Special Features: three making-of featurettes focusing on the cast, crew and production design.
(Rated PG for language and a love scene. Available February 9.)
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the iconic melodrama starring Ryan O’Neal and Ali MacGraw (who both received Oscar nominations for), Paramount is releasing a new remastered Blu-ray under its Paramount Presents specialty label. The film introduces audiences to Harvard students Oliver (O’Neal) and Jenny (MacGraw), who fall in love despite their differing backgrounds. Despite Oliver’s wealthy father threatening to disown him, the young couple marries and begins a new life together – but fate has other plans.
Special Features: New 4K restoration of the film; interview with film historian Leonard Maltin; audio commentary by director Arthur Hiller; introduction by film critic Ben Mankiewicz; behind-the-scenes featurette; theatrical trailer; collectible packaging that includes a foldout image of the film’s theatrical poster, and an interior spread with key movie moments.
Reach out to Josh Sewell on Twitter @IAmJoshSewell
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