Review: "Amsterdam"

David O. Russell is a fan favorite. From writing and directing his first feature film (Spanking the Monkey (1994) and receiving the Sundance Film Festival Audience Award) to his later films, fans love his work. He received Best Directing Oscar Nominations for The Fighter (2010), Silver Linings Playbook (2012), American Hustle (2013), as well as Screenplay Nominations for “Playbook,” and “Hustle.” It was also thanks to Russell’s guidance that Christian Bale, Melissa Leo, and Jennifer Lawrence all won Oscars (Bale and Leo won Best Supporting Actor and Actress in “Fighter,” and Lawrence won Best Actress in “Playbook.”) Russell’s highly anticipated return to movies, Amsterdam was released to theaters on October 7th, 2022. “Amsterdam,” is Russell’s first full-length movie since Joy (2015). Here’s my review:

In 1930s New York, two former war veterans, Dr. Burt Berendsen (Christian Bale) and Lawyer Harold Woodsman (John David Washington) are framed for murdering the daughter of a United States Senator. Becoming fugitives, they reunite with their female nurse friend Valerie Voze (Margot Robbie), whom they befriended while serving together in World War 1. Although the three maintain a friendship throughout the movie, it’s also clear that both men possess romantic feelings toward Valerie, though she only reciprocates feelings for Harold. As both men work at proving their innocence and uncovering the mystery behind the senator’s daughter’s murder, the mystery becomes more complicated than they ever could have imagined.

This movie is a brilliantly written murder-mystery and though it is a period piece, it acknowledges issues that are still prominent in today’s society, i.e. interracial romances and fascist-minded dictators. In a sense “Amsterdam” essentially pokes fun of people who are power-hungry or close-minded about race, showing how many of our modern difficulties are not unique or different than those from nearly 100 years ago. 

Although the film is slow-paced, 134 minutes to be specific, I sincerely enjoyed its fun wit. Despite some rather gory scenes, the plot was interesting and at times, rollicking. The trio of principal actors all shared great chemistry, and I especially liked John David Washington and Margot Robbie as a couple. Christian Bale almost certainly gives an Oscar-worthy performance. A lifelong fan of Robert De Niro, I was disappointed to not see him until a little more than halfway into the movie instead of from beginning to end. But as always, he delivers on his role. 

This movie was co-produced by Russell, Bale, Tracey Landon, and Matthew Budman. In addition to Bale, Washington, and Robbie, the film supporting cast includes Chris Rock, Zoe Saldana, Mike Meyers, Michael Shannon, Taylor Swift, and Robert De Niro (who received a Best Supporting Actor Oscar Nod for “Silver Linings Playbook”). The film was edited by Jay Cassidy who received Editing Oscar Nods for “Playbook,” and “American Hustle,” and its Production Design was designed by Judy Becker who also did the Production Designing for “Hustle.” Its Cinematography was done by Emmanuel Lubezki who won three Oscars for doing the Cinematography on Gravity (2013), Birdman (or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014), and The Revenant (2015). 

Overall, “Amsterdam,” is an exceptional movie. Compared to the other murder mysteries released earlier this year: Death on the Nile (2022) and See How They Run (2022), “Amsterdam,” is the best and that’s primarily due to David O. Russell’s skills as a writer/director. Though let’s not forget that when Russell makes a movie, he always assembles a multi-talented cast as well.    

Review: "Hocus Pocus 2"

1993 was the year that Disney produced two beloved Halloween-themed movies. The first was Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas—a hit and the second was Hocus Pocus—a box-office disaster! Receiving mixed-to-negative reviews and barely making money (only $8.1 million to be specific), the film was one of the Disney’s biggest catastrophes. Despite all that, the film gained cult status when released on VHS in 1994 and DVD in 2002. Blu-Ray in 2018, and Disney+ in 2019 have continued the trend. Its continuing popularity motivated Disney to create a sequel, Hocus Pocus 2, which premiered on Disney+ on September 30th, 2022. Here are my thoughts: 

The movie brings back the Sanderson sisters, explains their backstory and how it led them to be evil witches. In the process, this “second story” gives them a way to perhaps overcome the scars of living in an oppressive male-dominated society centuries before, while simultaneously passing the torch to a new generation.

This movie does a great job of showing how teenage girls can resist any paths chosen for them and to feel they have the power and self-esteem to make their own choices (spoiler alert: especially when it comes to marriage a la Winifred Sanderson). As the chorus from the Aretha Franklin/Eurythmics song says “Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves” they should always value their own standards and never loose track of the bond they share with their sisters and/or best friends. Hocus Pocus also introduces us to a potential new generation.

“Hocus Pocus 2,” reunites original cast members Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, and Doug Jones; then pairs them with Emmy Winners Tony Hale (“Veep”) and Hannah Waddingham (“Ted Lasso”). The film also stars Whitney Peak, Belissa Escobedo and Lila Buckingham as the new generation of Salem teenagers. This new crew of actors is well-intentioned, but perhaps didn’t have quite the crowd-pleasing draw of the originals-maybe it will grow over time like the original.

The movie was directed by Anne Fletcher (dir. of 27 Dresses (2008) and The Proposal (2009)) and was co-written by Jen D’Angelo and original “Hocus Pocus” writer David Kirschner. The film was also executive produced by Adam Shankman who directed Hairspray (2007) of which Fletcher was associate choreographer. (Shankman is currently directing Disney’s sequel to Enchanted (2007), Disenchanted (2022) which will be released on Disney+ on November 24th).

Overall, “Hocus Pocus 2,” is an entertaining movie, though it might not necessarily be quite as good as the original. Personally, I’ve always found the first film to be entertaining but creepy, as the Sanderson sisters like to steal children’s souls and Mary Sanderson (Kathy Najimy) is known for saying the iconic line “I smell children,” but the sequel can be distinguished in the sense it makes each of the Sanderson Sisters seem more human. It acknowledges The Sandersons’ evil streak, but lets us feel compassion for them as well. They are more heroic than they are villain.

DuckTales Tribute

“DuckTales Wo-oo! Everyday they’re out there making DuckTales! Wo-oo! Tales of derring-do, bad and good Luck Tales!” This is the chorus of the theme song written for Disney’s DuckTales (1987-1990), featuring music and lyrics by Mark Mueller. The show originally began airing on the ABC Network on September 18th, 1987, 35 years ago today, and was rebooted on the Disney XD Network on August 12th, 2017. In honor of it’s milestone anniversary let’s explore how the show came about:

“DuckTales,” was the very first Disney-produced cartoon show for syndication. The show’s inspiration came from the Disney comic book series, Uncle Scrooge, written and designed by Carl Barks. (The first edition was published in March 1952). The series told stories of Donald Duck, his nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie, and Donald’s uncle Scrooge McDuck. Their adventures in the fictional city of Duckburg, often involved foiling the schemes of Flintheart Glomgold, The Beagle Boys, and Magica de Spell. The comic book series caught the attention of television writer Jymn Magon, who began developing the idea for a show with Disney. With animation designed at Wang Film Productions, Cuckoo’s Nest Studio, TMS Entertainment and Burbank Films, the show’s first five episodes were looped together as a made-for-television movie that aired on ABC entitled “The Treasure of the Golden Sun.” 

The movie’s success lead to a run of 101 episodes over four seasons. It won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Film Sound Editing in its third year, 1990. That same year, there was another made-for-television film, DuckTales the Movie: The Treasure of the Lost Lamp. The show’s success set the stage for future Disney cartoon shows including Darkwing Duck a “DuckTales,” spin-off that included the “DuckTales” regular Launchpad McQuack as the sidekick of Darkwing Duck and Huey, Dewey and Louie made guest star appearances.

The show’s main voice cast included the lagreat Alan Young as Scrooge McDuck and the late-great Russi Taylor juggled the roles of Huey, Dewey and Louie. Tony Anselmo voiced Donald Duck and Launchpad McQuack was voiced by Terrence McGovern. (Fun Fact about Terence McGovern: He did voice-over work on George Lucas’s THX 1138 (1971), a pre-Star Wars project. At one point during voice recording McGovern messed up a line and said “I think I ran over a wookie back there.” Intrigued, Lucas asked McGovern what he meant by that and McGovern said that he just made it up, and Lucas never forgot that word, later using it as the species of one his most beloved characters, Chewbacca!) The series also featured Donald Duck’s other uncle, Professor Ludwig von Drake, Disney’s first ever television cartoon character, who was voiced by Corey Burton.

Every episode of the original “DuckTales,” is available to stream on Disney+, along with the “Lost Lamp” movie as well as the reboot show. Despite being 35 years old, DuckTales remains a favorite among Disney fans.  since it initially aired. Alan Young passed away in May 2016 and Russi Taylor passed in July 2019. It is sad they are no longer with us, but with the rest of the talented voice cast and Jymn Magon’s writing skills and Mark Mueller’s music, they’ve left quite an animation legacy.

 

 

Steven Spielberg: A Director to Love

Movie Directors are considered exceptional when their story powerfully captures human emotion and the character’s journey through life is relatable to the audience. While there are many directors who have achieved great things, few have captured the hearts and minds of audiences like Steven Spielberg. I thought I would acknowledge today why Steven Spielberg is a director to love.

Steven Spielberg has played many roles, including producer, writer and director, but when me makes a movie, you can be sure the story will capture your imagination, bring the emotion of history to life, or take you on an adventure of a lifetime. Although 1977 is primarily remembered as the year that George Lucas released Star Wars, that was the same year for one of Steven Spielberg’s greatest adventures as he directed and co-wrote Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977). (“Close Encounters,” won a Special Achievement Oscar for its Sound Effects Editing and it also won Best Cinematography, an award that “Star Wars,” wasn’t even nominated for!)

When Spielberg directs he always surrounds himself with other brilliant people: Composer John Williams, who’s won five Oscars, won three for scoring Spielberg movies, i.e. Jaws (1975), E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), and Schindler’s List (1993).

Besides Williams, Cinematographer Janusz Kaminski won two Oscars for photographing “Schindler’s List,” and Saving Private Ryan (1998). Playwright Tony Kushner received two Adapted Screenplay Oscar Nominations for writing Spielberg’s Munich (2005), and Lincoln (2012). And Spielberg has directed 11 actors in Oscar-nominated performances, three of which have won: Daniel Day-Lewis won Best Actor in “Lincoln,” Mark Rylance won Best Supporting Actor in Bridge of Spies (2015) and Ariana DeBose won Best Supporting Actress in West Side Story (2021). 

Spielberg himself has also been an award winner. He won the Best Director Golden Globe, Oscar, and Directors Guild of America awards for “Schindler’s List,” and “Saving Private Ryan.” “Private Ryan,” also won his only Best Picture Oscar and he won a third Best Director DGA for The Color Purple (1985). He won the Irving G. Thalberg Award in 1987, and received the Cecil B. DeMille Golden Globe in 2008. He was also inducted as a Kennedy Center Honoree in 2006, where he was saluted by frequent collaborator Tom Hanks. (Spielberg later returned the favor for Hanks when Hanks was inducted in 2014). Hanks was directed by Spielberg in “Private Ryan,” Catch Me If You Can (2002), The Terminal (2004), “Bridge of Spies,” and The Post (2017) and the two co-produced the miniseries Band of Brothers (2001). 

No Spielberg tribute would be complete without referencing the Indiana Jones franchise (1981-2008). One could easily argue Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) is one of Spielberg’s best in the sense that it earned a Best Picture Oscar Nomination, gave us all an iconic hero role that has stood the test of time, and spawned three sequels: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008). The fourth sequel is also on its way and while it will be directed by Oscar-nominee James Mangold, Spielberg will continue as producer.   

A director of 34 theatrical movies, at age 75 Spielberg’s clearly showing no signs of slowing down. He made his animation directorial debut in 2011 with The Adventures of Tintin and in 2016 directed The BFG, his very first film produced and distributed by the Walt Disney Company. That screenplay was authored by the late-great Melissa Mathison, who also wrote “E.T.” Spielberg has a brand new directorial project, The Fabelmans (2022), a film that will be a semi-autobiography of his childhood and what inspired him to go into movie-making. “Fabelmans,” will be released on November 23rd of this year, will star Michelle Williams and Seth Rogen, and will once again feature the Music of John Williams, the Cinematography of Janusz Kaminski, and a script that Spielberg co-wrote with Tony Kushner.

To say that Steven Spielberg takes the craft of movie-making seriously is an understatement. You can take one look at any of his movies and know instantly that it was produced by someone who loves movies because while it is make believe, it looks and feels unbelievably real. And he hires brilliant people to make his vision come to life. He must also be great to work with, since he’s worked so often with the same people. And in the end, thanks to his guidance, their efforts usually pay off with a movie hit!

    

Melissa Mathison: True to the Book

“We’re all going to die and they’re never going to give me my license!” “I’ll believe in you all my life everyday. E.T…I love you.” “Is he a pig? He sure eats like one.” “I’ll be right here.” 

These lines were written by Melissa Mathison for Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), which celebrated a 40th anniversary release on August 12th, 2022. Mathison had a career as a screenwriter that lasted for 36 years, writing screenplays based on children’s novels such as The Black Stallion (1979), as well as original screenplays like “E.T.,” which earned her a Best Original Screenplay Oscar Nomination. Though her career was relatively short, it was remarkable.

Mathison was born in Los Angeles, California on June 3rd, 1950. She was born into a family of writers: her father, Richard, was the Los Angeles Bureau Chief of Newsweek and her mother, was a food writer and convenience-foods entrepreneur, so she naturally developed the desire to write herself. She studied writing at the University of California, Berkeley, and her career officially took off when Francis Ford Coppola tapped her as his assistant on The Godfather part 2 (1974). (The Mathisons were family-friendly with the Coppolas and she even babysat his kids!)

After “Godfather 2,” Omni Productions was looking for a screenwriter to adapt the beloved children’s novel The Black Stallion written by Walter Farley. Coppola recommended Mathison, and she was hired, writing a script that stayed true to Farley’s novel. The film not only exceeded Farley’s expectations, but it even caught the attention of Steven Spielberg, who was looking for someone to write for his next film project “E.T.” Originally conceived as a “sort of” sequel to Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Spielberg became involved with “E.T.,” but he was not interested in making sequels. He agreed to produce it, but not direct, and originally had summoned screenwriter John Sayles to write the sequel, which was going to be called Night Skies. When Spielberg was displeased with Sayles’ draft, he read the story to Mathison, who re-wrote the screenplay, thus re-imagining it as “E.T.,” and became director again.    

In addition to a screenplay nomination, the film received a total of nine Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, and won four. Spielberg and Mathison collaborated again two years later on Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983), a film based on the television series of the same name, and in which Spielberg shared directing credits with Joe Dante, John Landis, and George Miller; Mathison shared writing credits with Landis, George Clayton Johnson, and Richard Matheson.

Besides her collaborations with Spielberg, Mathison also wrote the screenplays for The Escape Artist (1982), the television film Son of the Morning Star (1991), The Indian in the Cupboard (1995), and Kundun (1997), each of which were based on original books. While writing “Kundun,” she befriended the Dalai Lama and began a second career as an advocate for Tibetan freedom and was even on the board of the International Campaign for Tibet. In 1998, she and then-husband Harrison Ford lend their voices to the audiobook The Emperor’s New Clothes: An All-Star Illustrated Retelling of the Classic Fairy Tale, voicing the con artist husband-and-wife hired by the emperor’s seamstress to design the new clothes.

In 2008, Melissa Mathison was hired by Disney to write the English-translation for the Japanese Anime film Ponyo, produced at the Japanese Animation Film Co. Studio Ghibli and released under Disney’s label. The final film she wrote the screenplay for was Disney’s live-action adaptation of The BFG (2016) which was directed by Steven Spielberg (marking the first time ever Spielberg directed a film produced and distributed by Disney!) and starred Mark Rylance as the title character. Rylance had previously won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar under Spielberg’s direction in Bridge of Spies (2015) just the year before. Mathison was diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancer towards the end of the film’s production and died on November 4th, 2015, at the age of 65, eight months before the film’s July 1st release. The film was dedicated in her honor, reading “FOR OUR MELISSA” in the closing credits.

Melissa Mathison was a screenwriter who knew how to bring a book to life on film, but to stay true to the book, which is an exceptionally rare quality for writers. It’s unfortunate that she never won an Oscar for any of her screenplays and it’s also unfortunate that she is no longer with us. But she had an incredible career and every movie lover can agree that, had it not been for her skills as a screenwriter, “E.T.” wouldn’t be the beloved classic it still is today.

Review: "Luck"

Skydance Media is a film company officially founded on April 4th, 2006, by David Ellison, who continues  as the company’s CEO. Since its founding, Skydance has co-financed and co-produced films with Paramount Pictures, beginning with Flyboys (2006) starring James Franco, and the remake of True Grit (2010) which starred Jeff Bridges and garnered 10 Oscar nominations. Their most recent work Paramount was this summer’s blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick (2022). In March 2017, they teamed with Illion Animation Studios (based in Madrid, Spain) and Apple Original Films to begin producing CGI Animated movies. Their very first animated film, distributed by Apple TV+, is Luck. This is my review: 

Sam is the world’s clumsiest 18-year-old. She grew up in an orphanage, but is now too old to live there and has begun to live independently as a working adult. Her best friend is a five-year-old orphan named Hazel, who is desperate to be adopted. Sam wants to help her find a family. One day, Sam finds a penny in the street that she believes will bring good luck to both her and Hazel. She has difficulty keeping the penny on her person and magical adventures ensue, including a new friend: a loony, but soft-hearted cat named Bob.

The inspiring message of this movie is that no one is born with only good luck or bad luck. Life is all about enduring bad fortune whenever it happens, and one has to balance those two. It seems that bad times make you love the good times even more and it’s the bad times that help you tell when the good times are.

The film’s voice cast includes Tony-Nominee Eva Noblezada as Sam and Simon Pegg as Bob. Supporting voice cast Members include Oscar-Winners Whoopi Goldberg and Jane Fonda as well as veteran voice-over artists Grey DeLisle and John Ratzenberger. The film’s producing credits were shared by four people: David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, David Eisenmann, and John Lasseter. This is Lasseter’s first return to animation since his departure from being the Chief Creative Officer of Disney and Pixar Animation Studios. The film was directed by Peggy Holmes, who directed Disney’s Secret of the Wings (2012) and The Pirate Fairy (2014). It was written by Kiel Murray who wrote the screenplays for Disney/Pixar’s Cars (2006) and Cars 3 (2017). 

All in all, 2022 has proven to be a great year for animated movies from Turning Red to The Bad Guys to Minions: The Rise of Gru. Luck is part of what has been a really good run. Each film has been uniquely entertaining and told an inspiring message, but “Luck,” may be the best. Balancing bad luck, and knowing that good luck can still surprise us when we least expect it is a great message for kids and adults alike.  

 

   

Review: "Jurassic World: Dominion"

“Welcome to Jurassic Park,” was an iconic line spoken by the late-great Sir Richard Attenborough in Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park (1993). When Spielberg released it, the art of filmmaking changed forever. It was the highest-grossing film worldwide and garnered three Oscars, including one for Best Visual Effects—the world had simply never seen anything like Dinosaurs coming back to life (until Titanic (1997)). The blockbuster spawned five sequels, The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) also directed by Spielberg, Jurassic Park III (2001), Jurassic World (2015), Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018), and Jurassic World: Dominion, released on June 10th of this year. This is my review of the latest iteration:

Picking up from where “Fallen Kingdom,” left off, Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) and Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) have been carefully watching out for their adopted daughter, Maisie Lockwood (Isabella Sermon) in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. When Maisie feels overprotected, she runs away only to be kidnapped with Beta, a “baby” raptor who is the offspring of Blue, the raptor from the previous “Jurassic World” films. They are taken to an engineering corporation called Biosyn, where Dr. Ian Malcolm works (once again played by Jeff Goldblum) and he has invited his old friends Dr. Ellie Sattler (once again played by Oscar-Winner Laura Dern) and Dr. Alan Grant (once again played by Sam Neill) to study Biosyn’s locusts. Soon they discover that Biosyn’s CEO Dr. Lewis Dodgson (played by Campbell Scott) is greedily making dinosaurs of its own, but as a competitor to InGen, the originators of “Jurassic Park,” and the two stories collide as Owen and Claire set out to rescue their daughter.

The combined casting of Howard and Pratt with the reunions of Dern, Neill and Goldblum make the film one loud, wild, and epic ride. Although the special effects in the film are similar to the effects used in each of the previous films, the story is perhaps more touching than the others. As adventure continues to peak excitement, the healing of wounds in romantic relationships cleverly parallel. It’s been advertised on TV as the “closing of the Jurassic era,” and honestly, I don’t think one could have asked for a more moving finale.

The film is directed by Colin Trevorrow, director of “Jurassic World,” with Spielberg credited as Executive Producer. (He had the same credit on the previous two “World” films.) Trevorrow co-wrote and co-executive produced this film as well. Music was composed by Oscar-Winner Michael Giacchino, though the score also includes John Williams’s original theme. The Cinematography was done by Oscar-nominee John Schwartzman who also did the cinematography for the first “World” film. Although fans will miss the late-great Sir Richard Attenborough (who died in August 2014), the returns of Dern, Neill and Goldblum give the film the “reunion” feel that fans wanted.

Overall, “Jurassic World: Dominion,” is a wonderful ending to the “Jurassic Park” series. I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s better than the best of its predecessors, but like “Top Gun: Maverick,” it’s the kind of reunion film that works. A modern, up-to-date, story with a simultaneous nod to the past, and a reunited set of talent to boot!