by Josh Sewell
May December
(Rated R for some sexual content, graphic nudity, drug use and language. Now playing in select theaters and available on Netflix December 1.)
The premise: In this fictional drama inspired by the Mary Kay Letourneau and Vili Fualaau scandal, an actress named Elizabeth (Natalie Portman) arrives in Savannah to research Gracie (Julianne Moore) and Joe (Charles Melton) for an upcoming movie about their shocking relationship. Two decades prior, the 36-year-old Gracie initiated a predatory affair with 13-year-old Joe, but they’re still together living a seemingly picturesque life. As Elizabeth embeds herself deeper into the family’s lives, long-dormant emotions start to resurface and ultimately explode.
The verdict: Although it’s an incredibly uncomfortable watch, May December turns out to be one of the year’s best films thanks to the leads’ stellar performances, Samy Burch’s biting screenplay and director Todd Haynes’ ability to walk the razor thin line between melodrama and pitch-black comedy. In the hands of another filmmaker, this could’ve been a tonal nightmare.
Instead, everyone’s on the same wavelength. The abuse at the narrative’s core is never mocked or dismissed, but there’s a trashy, tabloid sheen over most of the film. That’s because Haynes and his collaborators understand the gross way people treat stories like this in the real world.
The final third is particularly harrowing, as everything comes to a boil. Joe (thanks to astonishing work from Melton, who deserves to be in the Best Supporting Actor conversation) finally confronts Gracie with a truth she’s been trying to avoid for their entire marriage, and the audience finally gets a glimpse at the film Elizabeth has been preparing for. Plus, there’s Marcelo Zarvos’ deceptively overbearing score. It sounds like something out of a Lifetime movie at first, until you realize the music is also in on the film’s dark joke.
I’m not sure how May December will play with the typical Netflix viewer, but it’s unquestionably a critical darling. Those looking for something different than the streaming service’s usual fare might appreciate this troubling alternative.
Grade: A-
Maestro
(Rated R for some language and drug use. Now playing in select theaters and available on Netflix December 20.)
The premise: In this unconventional biopic, director Bradley Cooper (who cowrote the screenplay with Josh Singer) chronicles the lifelong relationship between legendary musician Leonard Bernstein (Cooper) and his actress wife, Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein (Carey Mulligan). A self-described love letter to life and art, Maestro is an emotionally epic portrayal of family and love.
The verdict: One of Netflix’s major awards season contenders, Cooper’s sophomore directorial effort isn’t as strong as his 2018 debut A Star Is Born. Although he’s clearly swinging for the fences to prove he can make more “sophisticated” works than his box office smash with Lady Gaga, this one isn’t as cohesive.
For one, the flashy first half – meant to evoke the entertainment of the era in which it’s set – feels like it’s trying way too hard. However, the second half is much better; that’s when the film calms down a little and actually focuses on the story rather than how hard Cooper is trying as a director. I also don’t think it’s a coincidence that the quality improves once the focus shifts from Leonard to Felicia.
That’s partly because, if I’m being blunt, Mulligan is a better actor than Cooper. Her phenomenal performance feels authentic even though she, like Cooper, speaks mostly in a Katharine Hepburn-esque Transatlantic accent (as their real-life counterparts did). But it doesn’t seem like an affectation with her, whereas Cooper milks every syllable.
Simply put, Cooper the director miscasts Cooper the actor. His aforementioned issues, along with some unfortunate prosthetics in the first half (fortunately, the “old man Leonard” makeup in the second half is much stronger), make it hard to for viewers to fall for cinema’s most important magic trick: forgetting this is all pretend and getting swept away in the story.
Instead of finding a way to embody the character in a convincing manner (like Jamie Foxx’s work as Ray Charles in Ray or Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash in Walk the Line), the actor never makes you forget this is all an awards season exercise and he’s “Hollywood superstar Bradley Cooper pretending to be Leonard Bernstein.”
Grade: B-
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off
(Rated TV-MA for language and smoking. Now available on Netflix.)
The premise: Based on Bryan Lee O’Malley’s beloved graphic novels, this eight-episode anime series follows the emotionally stunted title character (Michael Cera) as he falls for the enigmatic Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). However, in order to date her, he must defeat all seven of her evil exes in battle. Then things get even more complicated – if you think you know where the story is going, it’s got plenty of surprises in store.
The verdict: I’ll keep this short because it’s impossible to discuss what’s great about Scott Pilgrim Takes Off without giving anything away. Most importantly, this isn’t a retread of O’Malley’s original comics series or Edgar Wright’s beloved cult film (even though everyone from that adaptation returns to voice their characters, Wright is an executive producer and O’Malley co-created the series with BenDavid Grabinski). Instead, it’s a fascinating alternate take on the material, kind of a superior version of Marvel’s What If? on Disney+.
By the end of the first episode, viewers will (mostly) know how the show veers off from previous incarnations. Although it’s a risky move – one I can’t believe wasn’t spoiled ahead of time – I’m shocked by how much I loved the creative choice. In addition, the multiple episodes allow fans to spend more time with supporting characters like the exes and provide deeper shading and complexity to characters who got short shrift in Wright’s film – particularly Ramona.
If Scott Pilgrim Takes Off was a movie instead of a limited series, it would be a contender for next month’s Top 10. That’s how strong it is. What a brilliant reimagining of the source material for a new era.
Grade: A
Home Video Spotlight
The Unknown Country
(Not rated. Now available on Blu-ray and DVD.)
After a devastating loss, Tana (Lily Gladstone, a Best Actress frontrunner for her work in last month’s Killers of the Flower Moon) finds a reason to rejoin the world when she’s unexpectedly invited to her cousin’s wedding. She packs up her late grandmother’s Cadillac and sets off on a journey from Minnesota to South Dakota. After reconnecting with her Oglala Lakota family, Tana retraces a journey that her grandmother took decades ago, searching for a spot captured in an old family photograph.
A personal mix of fact and fiction, The Unknown Country is a powerful debut feature from director Morrisa Maltz. Bonus features include an audio commentary with Gladstone, Maltz and editor Vanara Taking; director Q&A from the Chicago Critics Film Festival; a behind-the-scenes featurette; Maltz’s short film “Odyssea”; the theatrical trailer; and the “Looking for Knives” music video by Dyan.
(Rated R for some sexual content, graphic nudity, drug use and language. Now playing in select theaters and available on Netflix December 1.)
The premise: In this fictional drama inspired by the Mary Kay Letourneau and Vili Fualaau scandal, an actress named Elizabeth (Natalie Portman) arrives in Savannah to research Gracie (Julianne Moore) and Joe (Charles Melton) for an upcoming movie about their shocking relationship. Two decades prior, the 36-year-old Gracie initiated a predatory affair with 13-year-old Joe, but they’re still together living a seemingly picturesque life. As Elizabeth embeds herself deeper into the family’s lives, long-dormant emotions start to resurface and ultimately explode.
The verdict: Although it’s an incredibly uncomfortable watch, May December turns out to be one of the year’s best films thanks to the leads’ stellar performances, Samy Burch’s biting screenplay and director Todd Haynes’ ability to walk the razor thin line between melodrama and pitch-black comedy. In the hands of another filmmaker, this could’ve been a tonal nightmare.
Instead, everyone’s on the same wavelength. The abuse at the narrative’s core is never mocked or dismissed, but there’s a trashy, tabloid sheen over most of the film. That’s because Haynes and his collaborators understand the gross way people treat stories like this in the real world.
The final third is particularly harrowing, as everything comes to a boil. Joe (thanks to astonishing work from Melton, who deserves to be in the Best Supporting Actor conversation) finally confronts Gracie with a truth she’s been trying to avoid for their entire marriage, and the audience finally gets a glimpse at the film Elizabeth has been preparing for. Plus, there’s Marcelo Zarvos’ deceptively overbearing score. It sounds like something out of a Lifetime movie at first, until you realize the music is also in on the film’s dark joke.
I’m not sure how May December will play with the typical Netflix viewer, but it’s unquestionably a critical darling. Those looking for something different than the streaming service’s usual fare might appreciate this troubling alternative.
Grade: A-
(Rated R for some language and drug use. Now playing in select theaters and available on Netflix December 20.)
The premise: In this unconventional biopic, director Bradley Cooper (who cowrote the screenplay with Josh Singer) chronicles the lifelong relationship between legendary musician Leonard Bernstein (Cooper) and his actress wife, Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein (Carey Mulligan). A self-described love letter to life and art, Maestro is an emotionally epic portrayal of family and love.
The verdict: One of Netflix’s major awards season contenders, Cooper’s sophomore directorial effort isn’t as strong as his 2018 debut A Star Is Born. Although he’s clearly swinging for the fences to prove he can make more “sophisticated” works than his box office smash with Lady Gaga, this one isn’t as cohesive.
For one, the flashy first half – meant to evoke the entertainment of the era in which it’s set – feels like it’s trying way too hard. However, the second half is much better; that’s when the film calms down a little and actually focuses on the story rather than how hard Cooper is trying as a director. I also don’t think it’s a coincidence that the quality improves once the focus shifts from Leonard to Felicia.
That’s partly because, if I’m being blunt, Mulligan is a better actor than Cooper. Her phenomenal performance feels authentic even though she, like Cooper, speaks mostly in a Katharine Hepburn-esque Transatlantic accent (as their real-life counterparts did). But it doesn’t seem like an affectation with her, whereas Cooper milks every syllable.
Simply put, Cooper the director miscasts Cooper the actor. His aforementioned issues, along with some unfortunate prosthetics in the first half (fortunately, the “old man Leonard” makeup in the second half is much stronger), make it hard to for viewers to fall for cinema’s most important magic trick: forgetting this is all pretend and getting swept away in the story.
Instead of finding a way to embody the character in a convincing manner (like Jamie Foxx’s work as Ray Charles in Ray or Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash in Walk the Line), the actor never makes you forget this is all an awards season exercise and he’s “Hollywood superstar Bradley Cooper pretending to be Leonard Bernstein.”
Grade: B-
(Rated TV-MA for language and smoking. Now available on Netflix.)
The premise: Based on Bryan Lee O’Malley’s beloved graphic novels, this eight-episode anime series follows the emotionally stunted title character (Michael Cera) as he falls for the enigmatic Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). However, in order to date her, he must defeat all seven of her evil exes in battle. Then things get even more complicated – if you think you know where the story is going, it’s got plenty of surprises in store.
The verdict: I’ll keep this short because it’s impossible to discuss what’s great about Scott Pilgrim Takes Off without giving anything away. Most importantly, this isn’t a retread of O’Malley’s original comics series or Edgar Wright’s beloved cult film (even though everyone from that adaptation returns to voice their characters, Wright is an executive producer and O’Malley co-created the series with BenDavid Grabinski). Instead, it’s a fascinating alternate take on the material, kind of a superior version of Marvel’s What If? on Disney+.
By the end of the first episode, viewers will (mostly) know how the show veers off from previous incarnations. Although it’s a risky move – one I can’t believe wasn’t spoiled ahead of time – I’m shocked by how much I loved the creative choice. In addition, the multiple episodes allow fans to spend more time with supporting characters like the exes and provide deeper shading and complexity to characters who got short shrift in Wright’s film – particularly Ramona.
If Scott Pilgrim Takes Off was a movie instead of a limited series, it would be a contender for next month’s Top 10. That’s how strong it is. What a brilliant reimagining of the source material for a new era.
Grade: A
Home Video Spotlight
(Not rated. Now available on Blu-ray and DVD.)
After a devastating loss, Tana (Lily Gladstone, a Best Actress frontrunner for her work in last month’s Killers of the Flower Moon) finds a reason to rejoin the world when she’s unexpectedly invited to her cousin’s wedding. She packs up her late grandmother’s Cadillac and sets off on a journey from Minnesota to South Dakota. After reconnecting with her Oglala Lakota family, Tana retraces a journey that her grandmother took decades ago, searching for a spot captured in an old family photograph.
A personal mix of fact and fiction, The Unknown Country is a powerful debut feature from director Morrisa Maltz. Bonus features include an audio commentary with Gladstone, Maltz and editor Vanara Taking; director Q&A from the Chicago Critics Film Festival; a behind-the-scenes featurette; Maltz’s short film “Odyssea”; the theatrical trailer; and the “Looking for Knives” music video by Dyan.
Reach out to Josh Sewell on Twitter @IAmJoshSewell
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