Tag: Biography

As you peruse the listings of what’s playing at your local theatre this holiday season, you’ll come across this film which is about Dick Cheney. When you do, you might say to yourself that the last thing you’d want to see is a movie about a person who’s mostly considered malevolent, selfish and unscrupulous. I’m here to suggest you rethink that decision. ‘Vice’ doesn’t glorify him nor let Cheney off the hook by any stretch of the imagination but rather explains some of the things he did and why he did them in an extremely entertaining and compelling fashion. It takes us through his early life of getting married, having kids and his eventual move into politics. His dream was to work in the White House and as his ambitions grew, so did his list of contacts. These contacts would later come into play and make big impacts on our country… not in a good way. Director Adam McKay cleverly inserts the dirty tricks that Cheney learns on his path to the Vice Presidency. Cheney uses them to gain extreme power, even more than President George Bush realize he has. One of the most unfortunate events in his life, for us that is, was that he met Donald ‘Rummy’ Rumsfeld (Carell). He was a terrible influence. It’s a shame these two ever met. ‘We the People,’ when Bush was in office, may not have paid attention to just how tainted he was. However, earlier in Rumsfeld’s career, Washington did, and he was removed. Knowing how devious he was, Cheney kept him in mind when he got into a position to bring him back. Cheney also learned from a young up and comer named Anthony Scalia all about the Unitary Executive Theory. When used, it gave the person in position the ability to override tedious checks and balances, especially during times of war. It was the kind of power wielded by kings and dictators. He knew that Rumsfeld would back him when he wanted to use it.

The film is an outstanding rundown of events throughout Cheney’s life that made him the man he became, often concentrating on the bland to get to know him. Christian Bale, who stars as Cheney, gives a remarkable performance selling his Cheney as eager and driven but not cruel… or at least not meaning to be. It’s suggested that his wife Lynne (Adams) is the more power hungry of the two. McKay implies that the young man who just wanted to drink and have fun found himself wanting to do nothing but please Lynne which is what ultimately brought us to Cheney making all of the calls in the White House.

You’ll be saddened, even sickened, when you see just how close we came to having everything we’re still fighting for today. This point when Reagan removes the solar panels Carter had installed on the White House to promote something called solar energy. We can’t have that, now can we? People in the oil business would lose money! Yep! Wealthy families and businesses, tired of paying taxes, make all the rules in their favor and continue to get in the way of progress. ‘Vice’ doesn’t shy away from telling you this. McKay blames the Republican-led governments for where we are today, but he does also humanize the subject of the film. Maybe decisions he made were because he believed he was doing the right thing, not because he was evil. That’s up to you to decide. Pay very close attention while watching as so much is examined. Depending on your own theories on certain matters you may feel vindicated… or maybe awakened. That said, I believe ‘Vice’ is an absolute must-see! I watched it and was so intrigued by it, I watched it again. McKay uses humorous imagery and staging to relax you but then he shifts the narrative to then terrify you as you witness exactly how ruthless people got into positions of power and remain there still today. See it for the acting. See it to alter your perception of or learn more about the Bush era. Just see this movie.

A quick synopsis of ‘Welcome to Marwen’ could be that the movie is an unusual but inspiring story about an unfortunate situation that happened to an exceptional illustrator turned famous photographer. However, it’s much more. Why he became a photographer is where the heart of the story lies. The film, directed by Robert Zemeckis of ‘Back to the Future’ fame, is based on the true story of Mark Hogencamp (Carell), who was beaten severely by five men. He was attacked after drinking too much, at the bar he frequented, led to his talking too much.  To these strangers he had just met he mentions a little something he likes to do to be closer to women, or as he put it, feel their essence. He admits to wearing high heels. Shocking the men, they call him queer and assault him, each delivering punches that cause severe trauma to his body, most importantly to his head. The blows were so distressing to him that Mark no longer has a memory of anything before the attack… not even of who he was. To handle what it went through, his brain dumped everything that wasn’t essential to survival. Because of this, Mark can no longer draw as he had before or even function normally. A nurse has to go to his residence to check up on him because he has no true sense of how to care for himself properly.

 Seemingly wanting to work through the worst of it in some capacity, he still practices art but now it’s more cathartic for him. Instead of paper and pencil, Mark uses dolls and a camera. He’s turned his backyard into the imaginary town of Marwen in Belgium during WWII. In this town he’s built a world where he, or the doll of himself named ‘Hogie,’ is in peril. He photographs the dolls making real-life movements, not unlike what you’d find in a stop-motion film. And in Marwen, unlike in the bar where he was jumped, he gets to stage his rescue. He controls it all. Catching onto this, it doesn’t take long for you to notice that the five men who attacked him are represented here, as well, as five Nazi’s constantly running him down. His eventual salvation always comes by way of female dolls that are characterizations of real women in his life. These women have encouraged or enlightened Mark in some way. Most of them anyway. Enter a new neighbor, Nicol (Mann), who moves in across the street. When she shows up, his depiction of perfection gets shaken up. 

When she enters the picture is also when the movie gets a bit strange. Strange could be either good or bad depending on how you look at things. Dolls are creepy, to begin with, so there’s that, but to be honest, how they’re used here is rather benign. Though the female dolls are exceptional beauties, until Nicol comes along he doesn’t pose them romantically or sexually at all. Well, there is one topless scene but it’s not to satisfy any lust within him. A doll named Deja and the Nicol doll that he creates immediately after meeting her are particularly important. They’re used by Zemeckis to reveal that through them he’s more comfortable communicating what he wants of or what he thinks is the reality in his life. Mark desperately needs someone to remind him that the fiction he has created isn’t real. Art may imitate life to a degree, but it can’t take over or you’ll miss out on genuine opportunities… which Mark almost does. Luckily for him, not everyone feels the need to placate his inner child. The film is heavy at times but very creative and imaginative. Carrel has incredible depth in his performance of this trauma victim. If you enjoy films that carry you away from your daily burden’s, ‘Welcome to Marwen’ will accommodate you quite nicely.

I recommend you drop everything and see this on the big screen immediately! There’s a reason why so many films come out toward the end of the year. Often that logic is based upon the fact that they’ve saved the best for the last. That would be the case here. ‘The Favourite’ is a significant contribution to the films of 2018. It even far surpassed my expectations in fact. It’s masterfully crafted and incredibly well written. The three lead actresses are exceptionally strong in this, the latest work from the skilled raconteur of ‘The Lobster’ and ‘The Killing of a Sacred Deer,’ Yorgos Lanthimos.

‘The Favourite’ does have an altogether different spirit from either of his previous films. If you do have a strong opinion of his earlier work, you shouldn’t necessarily base your decision on whether or not to see this on your opinion of them. One reason to sit down and give this a watch that stands out above the others is that those films didn’t have this exceptional trio of women in their cast. These same actresses will now be giving the Academy a difficult choice over who to choose for an award and for which award. Not a bad pickle to be in but one they’ll be in to be sure.

The script by Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara was more comical than I had expected it to be which was quite a pleasant surprise. Getting to know the women and fully coming to realize the rivalry between them for the favor of the Queen was as delicious as waiting for a steak to cook that had been marinating all day. The performances undeniably complement the script. That said, some accents can make it hard to understand exactly what they’re saying at times, but this doesn’t distract from your overall enjoyment of the film. You won’t miss the sharp intellect written into the dialogue and the keen wit it took to come up with the story in the first place.

The film is set in England, early in the 18th century. Olivia Colman plays ailing Queen Anne who finds more than just a friendship in Lady Sarah, played by Rachel Weisz. With the position she has put herself, Lady Sarah is essentially running the country. The Queen fully trusts her and makes no decision without her input. Enter young Abigail (Stone) who’s fallen on hard times. She hopes, since they are cousins, Lady Sarah will give her a position in the palace. Jealous of the beautiful young woman, yet enamored with her charms, Sarah gives her work and a place to stay and proceeds to get to know her. With more than kitchen work on her mind, Abigail uses her position with Sarah to get to know the Queen more. Soon, she finds herself in the catbird seat where she accidentally learns more about Sarah and Anne’s relationship than she had bargained for. Being in the right place at the right time, Abigail sees that they’re lovers, as well. She then decides to use this knowledge to her full advantage.

As Abigail moves her piece on the chessboard of life, Sarah starts to get suspicious. The music, politics, relationships, and discourse build from there. The story is impressively structured, and it’ll keep you riveted throughout, enough that I feel confident you’ll walk away possibly considering ‘The Favourite’ one of your favorites for 2018. The ending is pure Lanthimos. When Sarah questions Abigail about whether she thinks she has won, you’re eventually shown what winning would be if she does. A life of being at the queen’s beck and call to rub her ‘leg’ at a moments notice doesn’t sound fun. Is this the life she was looking forward to?