katz6 Reviews

The Purge: Election Year (2016)

A timely franchise

[6/10 · 16 March 2019]

Although the producers may or may not have had this in mind when they made the first Purge film back in 2013, the franchise has become a political statement in the age of Obama backlash, modern racism, the Tea Party, and Donald Trump. In hindsight, the first film was a social commentary (rich white presumably Republicans repressing rage and attempting to lash out at the family headed by Ethan Hawke during the Annual Purge) disguised as a home invasion thriller. The second film ended up being a statement against the NRA-backed military and rich gun nuts (the second half of the film in particular). Now the third movie---a not so thinly veiled Hillary Clinton as the centerpiece.

Reviewers giving this movie 1 star and saying things like "liberal garbage" must be Rush and Fox Zombies who wrote similar comments about higher profile movies like The Post and Spotlight. Or maybe they're Russian trolls.

In any event, this is the weakest of the three films (I have not seen the Final Purge yet). It's rather predictable and poorly acted compared to the other films. Those expecting a Chuck Norris or Steven Seagal fantasy should be looking elsewhere.

Get Out (I) (2017)

Fascinating hybrid

[8/10 · 7 January 2018]

This film could be categorized as a horror film, or a satire. It has elements of both, although the Golden Globes nominating it in the "Comedy/Musical" category is a stretch.

Much has already been said about the film by critics and in other IMDb reviews. A film like this is only as good as the performances, and they are incredible. The entire cast must've realized what an original piece this is, merging elements from home invasion movies like The Purge with social comedies like Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. If you are familiar with the careers of Bradley Whitford and Catherine Keener, you will be knocked out by what they do in this film. Allison Williams, daughter of Brian (those cheekbones give that away...), is also downright surprising here.

Perhaps the Golden Globes placed this film in the Comedy/Musical category since there were so many fine dramas to come out in 2017. We can only be as lucky with movies next year...

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)

Rich characterizations in this near-perfect black comedy

[9/10 · 7 January 2018]

Martin McDonagh's new film gives us a glorious Frances McDormand performance (I believe she is incapable of delivering a bad performance), a tight script that is funny and riveting from start to finish, and surprising character development. The film plays like a tribute to a Coen Brothers' film (change the location to a larger town in Missouri, and it could have easily been called "Joplin"...)

McDonagh, who is not an American, captured the look and feel of a depressed rural town in middle America perfectly (although filming in North Carolina instead of the Ozarks loses the authenticity a bit...) The characters played by McDormand, Sam Rockwell (another actor incapable of delivering a sub-par performance), Woody Harrelson, and John Hawkes initially come across as stereotypes (angry mother, unhinged deputy, righteous sheriff, abusive ex husband, respectively), but the arcs of their stories take unexpected turns. The most satisfying experience in the theater this year. And McDormand's lashing out at a local religious figure, calling out the utter hypocrisy of the Evangelicals in this country, is alone with the price of admission.

Downsizing (2017)

Payne needs to stick with smaller films

[6/10 · 7 January 2018]

I had reservations about seeing Downsizing. I've been following (and loving) Payne's films since his debut with Citizen Ruth way back in 1996. The trailer for this film seemed to give away many of its charms. The film has a fascinating first act, which reminded me in its look and wit of Albert Brooks' underrated Defending Your Life. Once the hero is downsized, the film loses its magic (and its way), and meanders for another nearly 2 hours to its climax in a fjord in Norway.

Matt Damon gives his all in a performance that seems channeled from other actors playing frustrated male characters in Payne's previous films. Much has been said about Hong Chau, however her character is one of the most annoying in recent years. I would like to see Payne get back to smaller, character-based films, and based on the reviews and box office performance of this film, he may just do that.

The Post (2017)

A film for our time. Bravo to all.

[9/10 · 7 January 2018]

It should come as no surprise that Spielberg decided to put this film together quickly with Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, and writers Liz Hannah and Josh Singer. In the era of Trump, the most dangerous man ever to hold the office of President of the United States, and who has declared war on all media that does not wrap him up in utter adulation or (worse) question or criticize him and his administration that seeks to turn the country into a corporate theocracy, a free press is needed more than ever before. Here is an administration that has slashed every agency created to protect our environment and the population; replaced scientists with big oil executives; replaced the head of our public school system with a woman who despises the public school system and believes in "Christian indoctrination" for our children (not to mention vouchers for private Christian schools); alienated our allies in the UN and NATO; called all immigrants "a danger to society"; demands Mexico pays for a useless wall on our southern border; calls voters and states who did not support him "the enemy" (how many times has Trump visited California during the wildfires? Hint: Zero); declared Jerusalem as the capital of one of our only two "allies" left (that and Russia), thereby kicking the hornet's nest and unleashing the possibility of terrorist incidents abroad and in the US, which will be a lead up to a Middle East war that his VP and many in Congress want to allow Jesus to return; sought the end of net neutrality as the cornerstone in media control (the elimination of all media that does not allow him to run the country like a King or Dictator will surely follow); and is our very own Greg Stillson (for those familiar with Stephen King's novel) toying with nuclear weapons ("what's the use of having them if we can't use them") and getting into countless pissing matches with North Korea. There are mornings when I am surprised to wake up. The election of Donald Trump in November 2016 will go down as the biggest stain on the history of this country.

Back to the film: All involved with this sensational "small" (in Spielberg standards) film clearly saw the danger Trump presents to the non-right wing nut media, and the country and world, and put their hearts and souls into the project. Streep once again has mastered the mannerisms of her character in her portrayal, and Hanks fills Jason Robards' shoes as Ben Bradlee (although I also could have seen Michael Keaton in the role). Bob Odenkirk brings a touch of Jimmy McGill eccentricity to his role as Ben Bagdikian. The screenplay is genius in how it incorporates scenes of Nixon (seen in the White House as a silhouette) screaming about how unfairly he is being treated, and his threats "not to allow the Washington Post near the White House again," could have easily been uttered by our current President. The President is not Above the Law. He is supposed to be elected by the people (although Citizens United has blurred that), and he is not a King. This film, as previous films such as All the President's Men and Frost/Nixon, reminds us. A free press is the cornerstone to a thriving democracy.

I could not help but noticing the number of down-votes for a film that is not in wide release yet. Once again, anything that criticizes the King (in his mind) with No Clothes is "fake news" to the brainwashed rubes. Unless the down-votes are originating from Russia....

Bravo, Mr. Spielberg, Ms. Streep, Mr. Hanks, Mr. Odenkirk. See you on Oscar night.

Truth (I) (2015)

Only Two Years Old, and So Much Has Changed

[8/10 · 26 April 2017]

This film came out in the twilight of the Obama years, and it's now 2017, and how the country has changed.

I resisted seeing this film because I knew it would make me angry. And it did. But that does not take away from the story, and especially the acting. This film is more about Mary Mapes than Dan Rather, and the roller-coaster ride she and her crack team of reporters (all beautifully played by Dennis Quaid, Elizabeth Moss, and particularly Topher Grace) took while investigating the military background of soon-to-be-re-elected George W. Bush. Although I have not researched this myself to confirm, the film mentions that Mapes, Rather and CBS wanted more time to verify the sources and evidence, but "60 Minutes" and other hard news programs were being relegated to late hours with millions of less viewers, to be replaced by evangelical programming and reality TV shows.

In the end, the film is about how hard news was once, as Rather says at the end, a big draw for viewership. Americans had an insatiable appetite for the truth. The Watergate Hearings in the summer of 1973 was the top rated show of the summer. I am old enough to remember the days when "60 Minutes" was the number one viewed show for years in a row. This was when most Americans had only 4 or 5 networks on TV to pick from (the big three, plus an independent station or two, and PBS; Fox did not arrive until much later). The elimination of the FCC Fairness Doctrine in 1987 by the Reagan Administration allowed news networks to air on cable presenting woefully one-sided material without a requirement to present the other side. This led to Fox News on the right, and MSNBC on the left (although I would argue MSNBC does in fact present the other side with Morning Joe and other conservative- leaning anchors). Fox News does not...liberal guests or, in the case of Alan Colmes, anchors, were there to be whipping material, and were shouted down or cut off completely by the conservatives.

We are now living in an era of over 500 cable channels, not to mention the internet (and the internet will probably be the one place where Americans can get unfiltered truthful journalism; that is, if the Trump administration does not eliminate net neutrality). Americans are more interested in sports, reality TV, and Game of Thrones, and have been turned off by the news, with the exception of the 70+ Fox News addicts out there (who are akin to heroin addicts). When Dish Network threatened to drop Fox News from their roster, because NewsCorp raised the rates (and it was Dish's free market decision to do so), I saw posts by Fox News addicts complaining that they could not sleep "without their fix of Fox News." Thanks to this brainwashing, the New York Times, Washington Post, NPR, Time Magazine, etc. have been dubbed "fake news," while the National Enquirer and New York Post are trusted by this group as "legitimate." Something the real Rather has been fairly vocal about. But I digress.

If they could turn back time, would Mapes, Rather, and CBS had waited until after the election to present the story, or not, if the sources had been revealed to be inaccurate as they were? Who knows. It is a fascinating story, and although many right wingers in my family adamantly refuse to watch the film because of its story, the "liberal actors," and their irrational hatred of Dan Rather ("a traitor and a commie" to them), the movie is not the extreme left wing film they may imagine. The Oscar-winning "Spotlight" actually had more of a left slant than "Truth."

Robert Redford as Dan Rather is a revelation. Redford doesn't look much like Rather, but he's mastered Rather's mannerisms and vocal style in the same way Christopher Plummer mastered Mike Wallace in "The Insider." Seeing this film some 40 years after "All the President's Men" was released is also interesting; how much news has changed, regardless of media outlet. And Cate Blanchett as Mapes...what can I say, an incredible performance. Watch out Meryl Streep--Cate Blanchett is on your heels as the greatest female actor on the planet today.

The film could have been a little longer to flesh out some characters (Moss more or less disappears after the first half), but highly recommended. Especially in this era when "facts" are being deemed as "fake news" by the current President, while conspiracy theories (as the Republicans called the story Mapes broke in 2004) are being called "real news." I didn't hear a fraction of the anger the Republicans displayed in 2004 from the Democrats when Fox News called Barack Obama a "non American."