Before I Die #643: BlackKklansman (2018)

Director: Spike Lee

Well-done and compelling movie on an ever-more relevant and important topic, though maybe a movie that got just a tad more positive acclaim than maybe it earned.

BlackKklansman is a dramatic adaptation of the incredible, real-life story of Colorado Springs County, Colorado, police detective Ron Stallworth (John David Washington) - the first black member of the force, who joined in the late 1970s. Though initially relegated to the drudgery of clerical work, where he is subject to some nasty racism at the hands of a few colleagues, Stallworth soon proves his merit in an undercover operation to gather intel on a Black Student Union (BSU) meeting in the area, where he was to gauge the tone of the room in response to a speech by a prominent civil right leader. After a promotion, he conceives the idea to gather information on local white supremacist groups, namely the Ku Klux Klan. On a whim, he calls a phone number (actually listed in the phone book), puts on a southern accent, and poses as someone interested in getting involved with the KKK. The receiver of the call buys Stallworth's story and invited him to a meeting. The obvious problem is that Stallworth is unmistakably a black man, so he convinces his captain to bring a couple of partners into the operation. Their captain taps two veteran cops, Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver) and Jimmy Creek (Michael Buscemi) to work with Stallworth. Flip assumes the physical role of Ron, and he steadily embeds himself within the local cell of the KKK. Meanwhile, the real Ron continues his correspondence over the phone, soon having long talks with none other than David Duke, the Grand Wizard of the Klan, based in Louisiana. Ron and Flip eventually learn of the Klan's plan to make a violent statement by bombing a local Black Students' Union meeting. Ron and Flip have to act quickly to prevent this, all while Ron has been placed on guard duty for none other than David Duke, who is in town to visit the local KKK chapter.

This is a good movie whose subject matter and import are important enough to outweigh a few of the movie's minor shortcomings in terms of narrative or artistic choices. Though the real Ron Stallworth's story unfolded over 40 years ago, this 2018 film still feels all-too relevant, given the massive Black Lives Matter protests which have erupted in the wake of the brutal killing of George Floyd at the hands of police officers. This has touched off the nasty reminder that virulent racism is still all-too present in this country, and it was even more so back in the early 1970s. While BlackKklansman reportedly takes certain liberties with the story, many of the elements regarding the KKK's racist views and plans to kick-start a race war were all too real. This was still a time and place where the KKK was comfortable enough holding a sizable conference at a hotel, where Klan organizer and leader David Duke railed about the superiority of the white race, feeling confident that such meetings would help swell the Klan's numbers to those of its heyday in the early 20th century. Detective Ron Stallworth not only had to deal with these in a professional manner, but he also had to maintain a level head in the face of open racism in his workplace. The messages about racism are not always subtle in the movie - a hallmark of most Spike Lee films - but their importance can't be refuted. Perhaps the most powerful moments are when Harry Belafonte, himself a longtime civil rights activist, plays an older activist recounting

Flip(left) inspects the KKK membership card that Ron
Stallworth (right) has just received in the mail. Actors
Adam Driver and John David Washington have solid
chemistry and bring these characters to life.

There were also some fascinating complexities introduced in the tale. The fact that Stallworth's first assignment is to gain intelligence on "his own people" at the BSU gives you some idea of the tightrope that a black police officer - especially an undercover one - has to walk on a daily basis. This question of betrayal runs through the rest of the picture, and even if Lee gives us perhaps an oversimplified solution to it, the larger questions remain of where a person's loyalties lie: to one's own long-oppressed minority group or to the society as a whole, including the predominant oppressors themselves. The Flip Zimmerman character also offers us a chance to see where a Jewish perspective fits into racism and bigotry. This is an area that the film could probably have delved more deeply, but there is enough of it to illustrate a shared grievance between two groups who have been systematically oppressed for centuries and even millennia.

There are plenty of production merits to the film, as well. The acting is great by everyone involved, most obviously John David Washington and Adam Driver. The 1970s sets and costumes are all on point, brought out even more by the sharp cinematography. In short, the film is very pleasing to take in, visually, and it should come as no surprise that the soundtrack has plenty of fun late-1970s disco and R&B jams to give a fun vibe during appropriate scenes. These help to accentuate the much tenser scenes when Zimmerman is directly inside the secret meetings and safehouse of the KKK.

BlackKklansman earned a ton of critical acclaim upon its release in 2018, being nominated for most of the biggest awards for film. For my part, I thought it was a very good movie, but I don't quite put it on par with other worthy Oscar winners or nominees (though 2018 wasn't an especially strong year, so it made sense for that group of nominees). While the story is undoubtedly fascinating, relevant, and told skillfully, there wasn't anything that I found to be especially novel about the movie, outside of Stallworth's story. It's worth seeing, for sure, but I would warn most new viewers not to expect some mind-blowing experience about race relations.

New-ish Releases: Late Night (2019); The Dead Don't Die (2019)

Late Night (2019)

Director: Nisha Ganatra

A solid comedy with a strong cast, even if it is one that is fairly predictable.

Emma Thompson plays Katherine Newbury, a late night talk show host who, while an icon of immense achievement, has seen her popularity and relevance fade for about a decade. When word comes down that her show will be cancelled after the current season, Newbury and her all-male writing staff go scrambling for solutions. Newbury's knee-jerk is to hire a female writer, quickly tapping Molly Patel (Mindy Kaling), a motivated and aspiring but vastly inexperienced young woman who has been working in a factory. Despite her lack of writing chops, Patel has enough new ideas to inject a bit of life into Newbury's late show.

Late Night is a decent enough dramedy, even if it doesn't offer many surprises in terms of overall plot, character development, or interpersonal dynamics. It does, however, offer the requisite amount of laughs, which should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with the charming Kaling and the immensely versatile Thompson. These two, along with nearly all of the supporting cast, wring the most from the script (written by Kaling) - a script which has some good comic moments but also has its share of somewhat flat or predictable gags.

The overall themes are what one might expect, with the primary focus being on empowering women. Fortunately, this element is never too heavy-handed, despite it clearly being a subject that Kaling wanted to address. There are a few secondary stories, such as the obligatory slow-burn love interest tales (which are actually done well) and a marital strife tale involving Newbury and her terminally ill husband (John Lithgow)  that never fully materializes completely.

I don't know that I'll ever feel the urge to watch this movie again, but it was fun enough. Fans of Thompson or Kaling will enjoy themselves, even if this is hardly a life-changing work of cinema.

The Dead Don't Die (2019)

Director: Jim Jarmusch

Rather disappointing, but not a completely unexpected letdown.

As a fan of Jim Jarmusch, it was very easy to get excited about the prospect of a comedy zombie movie starring Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Tilda Swinton, and a slew of other great actors. Jarmusch has written and directed some wonderfully unique and stylish films which I absolutely love, but he's also made a few which did not resonate with me at all. And when I saw the rather lukewarm reviews pour in, I wasn't stunned that The Dead Don't Die fell far short of what I consider his very best films.

The story is set in the fictional town of Centerville, where local sheriff Cliff Robertson (Bill Murray) and his two deputies Ronnie and Mindy (Adam Driver and Chloe Sevigny) start seeing bizarre murders and other grisly behavior in their otherwise sleepy town. As they try to deal with the increasing death toll, it becomes clear that the earth is being overrun by a global rise of zombies. The three officers try to deal with the horror the best that three easy-going, small-town cops can.

I'll give Jarmusch credit for taking some big, off-beat swings in this movie. Attempting to present a zombie apocalypse in such a slow, lazy way is certainly a different approach. And it's actually charming in moments. But there are times when is really just drags with overly long, repetitive gags and just a tad too little happening at certain moments. There's also the character of Zelda Winston (Tilda Swinton), the oddball mortician in town whose little tale begins as highly intriguing and then ends in a turn so bizarre as to feel like a cop out.

At the other end of the creative spectrum is Jarmusch's unispired choice to have Adam Driver's character go completely "meta" by making references to the "theme song" and the "script" of the movie. Such things were funny back when they were fresh - many decades ago - but it ceased being funny long ago. Maybe if Jarmusch had done something novel with the gag, it would have worked better, but he didn't do anything with the idea. It was one of several elements that hinted at bigger, funnier, and more creative developments which never emerge.

It's obvious that I was underwhelmed by this movie. Still, it had some laughs, and it never takes itself very seriously. That helps, to be sure, even if it doesn't much redeem the film. Fans of any of the actors or of zombie flicks will certainly find a few things to like about it. Just don't expect any consistency or anything particularly ground-breaking here. I still love Jarmusch, but this won't go down as one of my favorites of his. 

New Release! Logan Lucky (2017)

Some vague spoilers ahead. Fair warning.

The Logan siblings - they comprise half of the sextet that
attempts a heist of rather massive proportions.

Director: Steven Soderbergh

A fun heist movie, with a unique flavor and an attempt at something just a tad more complex than Soderbergh's "Ocean's" films, even if it doesn't quite succeed at everything it attempts.

The tale is mostly that of Jimmy Logan (Channing Tatum), a proud West Virginian who gets laid off from his construction job on account of his having a chronic knee problem. Jimmy needs money to help support his daughter, so he convinces his brother Clyde (Adam Driver), sister Mellie (Riley Keough) and a few others of dubious character to pull off a robbery at the nearby NASCAR racetrack during a competition.

As a heist movie, Logan Lucky hits the necessary marks. The setup is nothing new, and it doesn't hold up terribly well under scrutiny, but it serves well enough as an excuse to see if a band of  misfits can actually pull off a challenging robbery. More important is that the movie, much like the "Ocean's" movies, offers clever and entertaining forms of problem solving. There's a cunning jailbreak (both out and back in), stealth, disguises, and meticulous planning all along the way. This is what any good movie of this type needs, and Logan Lucky delivers.

Much like Soderberg's "Ocean's" series, this one also has a very breezy, fun tone. This is especially evident with the characters. While there is a cursory human interest story at work between Jimmy and his cute little daughter, the proceedings never come close to getting grim or overly intense. Jimmy, his siblings, and their partners are all comic characters of one degree or another, with the most purely humorous being the demolitions expert Joe Bang (Daniel Craig) and his uber redneck brothers. I must admit that, were I from West Virginia or the deep south, I might take exception to how people from those regions are depicted, seeing as how nearly every main character seems to be intellectually challenged in one way or another. As it was, though, there are plenty of good laughs to be had.

On the topic of mental capabilities, however, is one bone I have to pick with the movie. At nearly every step of the picture, we are shown how everyone involved in the heist, from the two goofy, younger Bang brothers up to the "mastermind" Jimmy Logan, seems to be rather slow or inept in certain ways. And yet, the entire crew does actually manage to plan and execute a rather sophisticated robbery to near-perfection. This would have been easier to accept had we been given some slight suggestion as to Jimmy's mental acuity, but this never really happens. I very much appreciate seeing a heist movie that uses a different character type, setting everything in the South, but I still need to believe that the characters actually have the skills required.

And the Bang family makes up the other half. While Daniel
Craig's West Virginian drawl slips every so often, he makes up
for it with a fun turn as the quirky demolitionist, Joe Bang.

Another odd little blemish came from an extremely unexpected source - Oscar winner Hilary Swank. Swank plays F.B.I. Agent Sarah Grayson, who shows up in the last parts of the movie to try and piece together the facts of the robbery. For some strange reason, Swank's performance stood out as completely unnatural and overdone, coming off as a poor imitation of Sandra Bullock's comedically stern Agent Ashburn in The Heat. This stands out all the more when everyone else in the picture, very much including pretty boy Channing Tatum, does an excellent job. Swank is a great actress, but for whatever reason, she missed the mark on this one. It happens to the best of them, I suppose.

So this was an entertaining flick, being exactly what I had expected. It's not going to change the genre or anything quite so historic, but it is a well-made, entertaining tale that can offer some truly PG-13 fun for a couple of hours. 

New(ish) Releases: Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2015); Silence (2016)

Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2015)

Director: Taika Waititi

Great little movie which feels like New Zealand's comedic answer to the films of Tom McCarthy, such as Win Win.

The story follows the often funny, sometimes sad bond which grows between Ricky (Julian Dennison), an orphan and wanna-be gangster of Maori descent, and Hec (Sam Neill), the crotchety old husband of Bella, the woman who adopted Ricky. Ricky is brought to the couple as his last chance to avoid being put into the juvenile detention system for repeated minor acts of delinquency and vandalism. His new home is in the "bush" area of New Zealand - a rural area where Hec and Bella carve out a modest but fairly happy life by the sweat of their brows. When Bella passes away unexpectedly, though, the overly vigilant child protective services come to reclaim Ricky in order to put him back into the system. Ricky and an very reluctant Hec then go on the run, into the untamed wilderness area around Hec and Bella's rustic home.

The movie has plenty of odd and off-color humor which feels like a novel blend of sillier British shows and the more thoughtful dramedies of the aforementioned Tom McCarthy. The classic setup of two wildly mismatched characters finding themselves stuck together works brilliantly here, thanks to sharp writing and directing, along with typically excellent acting from Neill and Dennison. There is plenty of humor poking fun at some New Zealand culture, most of which I followed but some of which was a bit lost on me. It may be a very regional movie in many ways, but there is certainly a rather universal appeal to the greater story.

Though I did feel the movie lost a little bit of steam during its third act, it does offer a fairly satisfying ending. This was the second film I've seen directed by New Zealand native Taika Waititi, along with his hilarious 2014 vampire mockumentary What We Do in the Shadows, and he's becoming one of my favorites. I can't be sure how he'll do with his massive-budget, fantasy/action fest Thor: Ragnarok later this year, but I'm definitely pulling for his success.

Silence (2016)

Director: Martin Scorsese

Visually stunning drama that packs more intellectual than spiritual or emotional punch than probably intended.

Based on the Japanese author Shuusake Endo's novel of the same name, the movie follows a pair of Jesuit priest from Portugal who, in the 17th century, make an ill-advised journey to Japan. The priests, Rodrigues and Garupe (Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver), set out to find their old mentor, Father Ferreira (Liam Neeson), after they receive word that he has renounced Christ and become an apostate upon torture at the hands of the Japanese imperial government. The two young priests secretly make their way to a small village where Ferreira had previously ministered, though they must exercise extreme secrecy and caution due to Japan's official outlawing of the Christian faith. Over many torturous months, they are separated and face physical and spiritual hardships of immense intensity. Father Rodrigues does eventually track down Father Ferreira, although their reunion is far from what the younger priest had been hoping for.

This story was based on the highly-regarded novel of the same name by Japanese author Shuusaku Endo, published in 1966. Endo, himself a Catholic, often explored the theme of Catholicism's tortured history in the country of his birth. As such, this story looks back at one of the earliest and most brutal periods of friction between the East and West, as metastasized in the ruthless torture and killing of thousands of Jesuit priests at the time. Endo's novel and Scorsese's movie take a fascinating look at the idea that Catholicism was like a seed that would never find purchase in the "swamp" of Japan, in terms of spirituality. The notion that the two were simply incompatible is probably the most engaging part of the story, especially in seeing the lengths to which both sides will go to either maintain their faith or annihilate what is seen as a foreign infection of the mind and soul.

One of several brutal, if brilliantly filmed, scenes of Christians
being persecuted to death by hardline government officials.

Yet, the movie never completely impacted me the way that I was hoping. I've long been interested in religious history (though an agnostic myself), especially in Jesuit history. The Jesuit tradition of forging into foreign lands to bring not only their religious message but also broader education has long been one that I admire in many ways. And there have been a few excellent movies depicting the rigors of their mission, namely Black Robe and The Mission. That latter movie, in particular, did an excellent job depicting the larger Jesuit pursuits while also imbuing a tale with sympathetic characters and emotional heft. Unfortunately, Silence never quite elicited that same feeling from me. The young priests are clearly very dedicated, but I couldn't shake the feeling that we never fully get to know either of them as real people. Instead, they are simply vessels of faith, swimming upstream for reasons that I wish had been more thoroughly explored.

The one other issue I had with this movie is the depiction of government official Inoue, who is tasked with tracking down and weeding out any vestiges of Christianity in his district. I found that this character comes off with over-the-top unctuousness which makes him cartoonishly villainous. This was a shame, since there are actually a few thoughtful and philosophical verbal exchanges between him and the young Jesuit priests. But these and nearly everything else Inoue does are undermined by an overly sleazy, slurred delivery of his lines that would be more fitting for a B-grade horror movie bad guy. Yes, the character is meant to be dislikable, but I feel that it would have been far more interesting had they given him a more noble carriage and not made him so easy to despise.

If you've heard anything about this movie, it is likely about the visuals. They are truly stunning. As Martin Scorsese has shown time and time again, he knows how to find cinematographers and put them in positions to create visual masterpieces. Silence is no exception. It is an odd contrast to the spiritual turmoil and physical tortures being suffered throughout the picture, but the landscapes, costumes, and sets are beautifully captured, making the movie a pleasure to drink in for much of its considerable running length. It also helps that the acting is (aside from Issei Ogata's portrayal of Inoue) strong.

I recently read the novel, which Scorsese remained highly faithful to. While anyone interested in solid film making or the religious and spiritual themes would appreciate the movie's strengths, those more intrigued by the latter would perhaps gain more from reading the novel. 

New Release! Paterson (2016)

Director: Jim Jarmusch

The most precise, poetic, and touching movie that Jarmusch has done to date.

Paterson, like nearly all Jim Jarmusch films, may not be to everyone's taste. It does not rely on unique drama or compelling plot to rein in viewers. Instead, it takes a quiet, careful, and often amusing look into the life of an ostensibly average guy who has the soul, eye, and writing ability of a great poet. The title character (Adam Driver) plays a bus driver in Paterson, New Jersey. He is a quiet, unassuming, and pleasant person who goes through his daily routines and does his job without flair or drama. But he writes poems when inspiration strikes him, which is often at times and places that most of us would not expect. He finds beauty and emotion in his relationship with his artistic and quirky wife, Lara (Golshifteh Farahani), in the little objects laying around his home, in the natural and man-made structures along his walk between work and home, and any number of other moments and materials that surround him on a daily basis. Throughout the day, he steals little moments to cast his observations and feelings into expertly-crafted poems, which he keeps in a simple notebook but shows to nobody, including his beloved wife.

As with others of Jarmusch's movies, Paterson stays away from conventional storytelling in many ways. Although there are a few moments of tension here and there, no grand conflict emerges. There is no great battle in which the protagonist must engage, and if he changes at all, it is only in the subtlest of ways. But this is what makes a movie like this special. Like the best poetry, the movie is a beautifully captured portrait of something special which goes unnoticed by virtually everyone around it. There doesn't need to be a profound message or lesson to it. Instead, the purpose of a movie like this is to show us something in the world that is, while ostensibly mundane, filled with moments that can inspire awe and joy. Paterson may not be an outwardly impressive person, but he's found a sort of balanced happiness in his simple life. If one weren't privy to his inner thoughts, it might seem strange and even extremely boring. But by showing us the man's inner world through his poetry, we can get a far better idea of how and why he lives a wonderfully fulfilling life, as he sees and defines it.

By all appearances, Paterson is the most average of Joes. But
this film reveals the vision and poetry that lies within this
everyday bus driver.

I can't say that I found the movie flawless. The character of Paterson's wife, Laura, smacks a tiny bit of the "manic pixie dreamgirl" trope, being an odd, ever-shifting but always cheery font of positivity. And as seen in other Jarmusch films, dialogue is not necessarily his strong suit. There are certainly some very funny lines, but it does not always feel completely organic. Fortunately, the film's strengths don't rest on either of these things, so they don't greatly weaken the movie. The excellent performances of the primary actors easily outweigh any minor shortcomings of the script.

Paterson will not be for everyone. It has a calm, deliberate pace, and a purposeful lack of high drama. Those who enjoy more traditional stories in which a hero emerges, faces down some form of antagonist, and ultimately triumphs, will perhaps not have the patience for this movie. It is a long piece of Zen poetry cast onto film. For those in the mood for such a thing, you'll likely find this one to be a modern masterpiece. It's not a movie that I'll feel the need to watch again and again, but I am quite sure that I will eventually be in the right state of mind to again take in and appreciate the sublime portrait that Jarmusch has created for us.