Civil rights protest, long distance swimming and a celebrity marriage gone wrong. No they're not related, except, that is, when you peruse the new movies this week. They all get formidable attention today, along with a Quiz Show challenge and a huge Japanese fantasy about heading off natural disasters.
Tempting choices for you:
Rustin: 4 stars
NYAD: 4
Priscilla: 3
Quiz Lady: 3
Suzume: 3 ½
RUSTIN: A milestone event in US history, the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom (1963) produced one of the most iconic speeches. “I Have a Dream” said Martin Luther King. Who hasn't seen or heard it excerpted many times? Well, here's the rest of the story. MLK had to be asked to speak that day. The march was organized by a separate civil rights group and essentially by an activist named Bayard Rustin. Barack Obama, when he was president, awarded him a posthumous Medal of Freedom and has now, as part of his Netflix deal, produced a feature film about him.
Until that, Rustin was pretty-well forgotten. And even during the height of the civil rights movement was almost an outsider. He was shunned because he was gay and had dabbled in Communism years before. Both Adam Clayton Powell (Jeffrey Wright) and Roy Wilkins (Chris Rock) attacked him for that. He had a falling out with MLK (Aml Ameen) and is urged to make up with him. The march needs him, he's told. And it needs women, says civil rights leader and politician Anna Arnold Hedgman ably played by CCH Pounder.
The film is respectful and good history. The march isn't the highlight. The meticulous work to organize it is, Doubters have to be turned away. Rustin's enthusiasm gets to shine. Colman Domingo is charismatic playing him. He had a secondary role in director George C. Wolfe's previous film, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. He's sure to get as Oscar nomination for this. (Select theaters now, Netflix in a couple of weeks) 4 out of 5
NYAD: It's been through a few select theaters and is now streaming from where it originates: Netflix. Don't miss it. It's an incredibly tough display of sheer will and determination as long distance swimmer Diana Nyad tries to make the crossing from Cuba to Florida. She's without a cage or other protections against the sharks and jellyfish in those waters. No one had ever done that before but as we see it took her almost 53 hours straight. That's 110 miles, a little bit longer than it should have been because of the errant currents in those waters. It's an ordeal and Annette Bening gets across her single-minded drive (“I don't believe in limitations”). She's bound to get an Oscar nomination for it.
Nyad tried five times, the first at age 28, this one at 64 and the film is a statement about pushing ahead with your dreams no matter your age. Jodie Foster is there as the friend and coach who exhorts her to do “One more stroke. One more stroke.” Rhys Ifans is the navigator who watches for breaks in the weather and the currents. The film is by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin who directed Free Solo, another case of extreme exertion. This one is just as tense and gripping. There's some controversy about it but don't mind that. Nyad, who wrote the book, has been known to exaggerate but don't let that distract you from the ultimately exhilarating movie. (Netflix) 4 out of 5
PRISCILLA: It was a fairy-tale romance, for Elvis Presley and Priscilla Beaulieu, back in the 60s and 70s. And glossy fodder for the tabloids and fan magazines, especially when it led to a marriage. Now Sofia Coppola takes it back down to a fairly common story about a marriage that didn't take. She puts in a bit of feminist insight and with way too much restraint refuses to sensationalize. That's respectful and proper but leaves us wanting more. After all, it's about Elvis, this time from the perspective of his wife. She wrote about it in her book “Elvis and Me” and served as executive producer on the film. That may explain the low-key tone and the overly polite analysis of this marriage.
Elvis (played by Australian actor Jacob Elordi) met Priscilla (Cailee Spaeny) in Germany when she was a teenager and he was in the army; brought her to Graceland to live (though under his dad's guardianship) and treated her with respect. That is when he wasn't disregarding her, playing with his pals out back or off in Hollywood making movies. He held off on sex, seemingly with a momma's boy hangup, and both come off as overgrown kids. We watch her realization develop. He has flings with his movie co-stars, gets love notes from somebody named Anita and with his long absences leaves her plenty of time to ponder these things. It takes her a long time to see what's happening and what her fairy-tale romance is really like. Both actors play their parts well and Jacob at times looks a lot like Elvis. The estate though wouldn't allow his music to be there and so, except for one lesser song done by an Elvis-sound alike, you get other hit records from the era. You also get good work from the art department. The era, filmed in Toronro, looks great. (In theaters) 3 out of 5
QUIZ LADY: This one is perfect for an evening at home when you want something undemanding, light-hearted and able to make you laugh. Awkwafina and Sandra Oh are very funny as a pair of sisters who get in involved in a Jeopardy-like TV show and along the way work out their differences. (They were both part of the producing team).
Awkwafina as Anne has watched “Can't Stop the Quiz” since she was very young. She's as good at facts and trivia as anybody on there and a cell phone video her sister Jenny makes of her playing along proves it. Doesn't take long for the video to go viral, to get to the show staff, get to an audition and an invite to play on the show. Will Ferrell is the host, gracious and with a repetitive routine. Jason Schwartzman is the reigning champ, self-important and smug. How can Awkwafina compete with him? It's a test but if you've seen more than a few movies in your life, you'll know what's coming. There are a few novelties. The sisters need money to pay off their mother's gambling debts. A bookie has their dog hostage to encourage them. And Ferrell's act as the host is amusing and eccentric. He's worn a new bowtie for every show over the years and can recall what happened on any of those days. And the sisters? They're very good at bickering. (Disney+) 3 out of 5
SUZUME: A highlight in Japanese animated films. It's back in theaters after an earlier, and possibly underappreciated, release. This one's not cute at all. It's a giant fantasy with big action scenes (mostly weather, earthquakes and other phenomena) and a story you'll just have to roll with. The director, writer and storyboarder, Makoto Shinkai, says it's his way to acknowledge that he created animated stories while his country is prone to national disasters. The 2011 earthquake and tsunami may have been a catalyst for this.
Courtesy of Crunchyroll and Route 504 PR
The story is bizarre. Suzume is a young woman who has lost her mother, lives with a strict aunt and out riding her bicycle one day meets a strange young man. He's looking for ruined buildings and particularly doors which he must shut or else natural disasters will come in. Strange, but the film makes its case, which also brings in a talking cat that turns him into a chair. He can walk though which causes surprises in town. It gets even stranger. The cat was once a “keystone, ” a being that that was able to hold the doors closed against disasters. On the other side is the “ever after,” clearly a reference to death and the afterlife. On this side the chaos appears as a giant plume of smoke on the horizon, referred to as a “worm”. Yes, it's hard to make sense of it all but the action, the vivid animation, the imagination and the speedy pace will help you deal with it. (In theaters) 3 ½ out of 5
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