Movie Review: She Said

In “Memory Slips,” a memoir of her evolution as a professional pianist, incest-survivor Linda Cutting describes how her therapist, a Holocaust survivor, gave her a piece of paper upon which he’d written, “Stay alive so you can tell.” In “She Said,” (based on the nonfiction book by Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor), the Holocaust is also invoked, when two characters who begin by discussing sexual assault allegations in the Hollywood industry move onto this subject, around which there is varying degrees of foreclosure in their families. Trauma does indeed have a ripple effect that affects not only multiple people involved but the victim as she or he matures, as well. Some years back, I remember being shocked by sexual abuse allegations by Corey Feldman involving not just him, but his now deceased friend and fellow child actor, Corey Haim, as the victims. More recently, I’ve seen allegations by actors Terry Crews and Brendan Fraser of sexual misconduct at the hands of Hollywood bigwigs, so clearly, the issue is even messier and deeper than “She Said,” which focuses primarily on Harvey Weinstein and the women he abused, addresses. However, it is well worth watching, although it will definitely have triggers for many who’ve experienced being bullied by someone in authority at their job.

“She Said,” takes place following the 2016 presidential election, but many of the flashbacks occur in the nineties, a time when both the Monica Lewinsky and Clarence Thomas/Anita Hilll scandals were prominent in the news, (both of which taught me as a teenager that such things were about power, not just sex). New York Times journalist Carey Mulligan has gone on maternity leave after having broken a story about then-candidate Donald Trump and sexual assault allegations and is struggling with postpartum depression. Zoe Kazan, also a mother of young children and dealing with balancing her career with family (see “Erin Brockovich“), plays her colleague who takes over in her absence and begins investigating allegations against Harvey Weinstein, dating back decades.

As Fox News has recently fired Roger Ailes (see “Bombshell“), it appears the time is ripe for another piece on sexual harassment in the workplace. However, the obstacles to putting out a story are many and daunting, including intimidation from those who want the story killed (as it has been in the past) and the fact that many of the accusers have signed non-disclosure agreements (see “The Insider“). Key records that the journalists need turn out to be destroyed; other victims prefer not to speak on the record; and they threaten to be scooped by Ronan Farrow of The New Yorker, so the clock is ticking. Surprisingly, Harvey (who we only see from the back), and his lawyer are less than cooperative, as well as various players in the movie industry (perhaps afraid of being blacklisted). Of course, success does come, but not without plenty of tension and setbacks first.

The cast does an excellent job, particularly the two leads; Andre Braugher, as a level-headed editor steering the ship through turbulent waters (and to mix metaphors when he deals with Harvey, he adopts the demeanor of a father handling a tantrum-throwing toddler); and Jennifer Ehle, playing one of the victims, who chooses to speak because she doesn’t want her daughters to grow up accepting abuse. Ashley Judd also appears as – herself, a brave decision. Given the success of “Spotlight,” I predict that “She Said,” will be rewarded come Oscar-time, though it might make for awkward atmosphere at the podium. Current and upcoming films and likely award nominees: “Tar,” “Till,” and “Women Talking,” examine the impact of real and false sexual misconduct allegations, too, but there’s also a scene in the earlier “Father Stu,” (based on a true story) in which Mark Wahlberg’s character turns down an opportunity to exchange sexual favors for an acting gig. Hollywood, as well as other industries, still has a way to go. It might not be wise to automatically believe every woman – and man – but we certainly should listen.

Movie Review: The Menu

In “The Ref,” Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis play a constantly bickering couple who get taken hostage by a cat burglar on Christmas Eve, a development that does nothing to quell their mutual animosity. At one point, Judy needles Kevin for giving up on his dream.

Judy: One bad review in one lousy magazine, you just give up!

Kevin: Now hold on, stop right there. If you recall, it wasn’t one bad review in one lousy magazine, it was the Restaurant Guidebook of New York! And when the Restaurant Guidebook recommends you to “Hindus looking for a fun night out of fasting,” what do you expect me to do, change the menu?

Yes, being in the restaurant business is stressful indeed, as “The Menu” aptly shows. In plot, it’s similar to “And Then There Were None,” or “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” in which a group of unlikeable people are brought together under murky circumstances in order for them to be humiliated or die a painful death. At first, it appears to be a fun outing, but it soon becomes clear that someone has chosen them for revenge purposes. With “The Menu,” being sucked up a pipe and sent to the fudge room is a fate worth choosing as opposed to what’s in store for the upper crust guests attending the Hawthorne dining experience. But they are not given a choice. “We’re all gonna die tonight,” one wails, to which the spouse can only nod assent.

Our protagonist is Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy who appears to be competing with Margot Robbie to see who can star in the most movies in 2022) who accompanies Nicholas Hoult as a seemingly last minute replacement for his date on a cruise ship to an island where a famous chef (Ralph Fiennes) is set to prepare a five star meal. Nicholas plays a vapid foodie who, like those accompanying them, is a one percenter. (Anya is decidedly not.) The other guests include John Leguizamo as a washed-up actor, his agent, a food critic (Janet McTeer), her editor and a trio of tech bros. Once on the island, they’re greeted by Hong Chau, who plays Ralph’s assistant and is not fazed by any obnoxious cracks. When they assemble for dinner, Ralph tells them that they will be eating “ecosystems,” and soon a frisson of class hostility creeps into his patter. Anya picks up on this, but no one else does. But then the tone turns abruptly violent, and they now have reason to panic. It turns out that “all” is literal, even Ralph does not intend to survive the night, even if his motive is revenge for past wrongs. Now what?

In “The Ref,” the characters who find themselves at a dinner which is actually a hostage situation are all made to wear burning crowns with candles and foliage (a Scandinavian holiday tradition), which is kind compared to what ultimately happens to the crew in “The Menu.” Ralph, who agonized over participating in a game show scandal in “Quiz Show,” is up to the task of agonizing over whether the recipe is just right here. This is a delectably black-humored addition to the holiday movie season, and if you want more intrigue on an island, there’s always “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” to come.

Movie Review: Phantom of the Open

Some movies must have rather complex, eyebrow-raising pitches (say, “Being John Malkovich“), but I imagine the pitch for “Phantom of the Open” was a breeze. It’s “Eddie the Eagle” or “Rudy,” only with golf. While golf is not as thrilling as ski jumping, the film is still “based on a true story,” a hook that is catnip to filmmakers and people who enjoy underdog-triumphing stories on the big screen. Will it inspire the average person to go out, don a pair of plaid pants and pick up a golf club? Perhaps not, but it’s still worth a watch if you have a soft spot for movies about dreamers who succeed against mighty odds. How true is “Phantom“? I’ve no idea, but the clips of the real inspiration, Maurice Flitcroft, suggest the actor, Mark Rylance, got the delivery and appearance passably right.

When the film opens, Mark’s character is clearly elderly and being interviewed about his golf career which includes repeated entries in the British Open. What we don’t learn right away is that the whole thing began as a lark, but we will soon, don’t worry. As a young man, Mark meets Sally Hawkins, a woman with acting aspirations who already had a son out-of-wedlock, whom he marries, moves to a working-class British town with, and proceeds to have twins who grow up to have disco dancing aspirations since it’s the mid-seventies when the film starts properly. Though Mark, who works as a crane operator, encourages his sons to dream big, he himself has modest goals, but after it looks as if his job is in jeopardy, Sally is the one who tells him that it’s time for him to follow his own dreams whatever they may be. Upon stumbling across an American golf championship on telly, Mark decides to take up golf and manages to worm his way into the British Open (because who would be that stupid to try without any experience, as arch villain, Rhys Ifans, sneers). When asked by a reporter how it feels to have shot the worst opening round of all time, he replies that it’s his first ever, so he expects to improve. It’s clear that Mark may be mediocre golfer, but he has crowd appeal and gets the sedate golf fans cheering whenever he makes a halfway decent shot. He even inspires a journalist to follow his travails as he progresses through the elite sport and certainly has his hometown rooting for him.

Alas, there are obstacles along the way. Although his twins and Sally support him, Mark’s oldest son becomes embarrassed by his dad’s antics and distances himself (it doesn’t help that he has management aspirations, and his boss has blond floppy Trumpian hair and sneers a lot, too, at the very thought of Mark, who used to work there but got canned) so he, too, needs a life lesson. Luckily, Mark persists, and when he’s at his lowest point, unexpected good news arrives (as it always does in these movies). “Phantom” is all about following your dream and reaching for the stars. Sometimes, Mark sounds eerily like Stephen Root in “Office Space,” which I didn’t understand, but though this is a movie without surprises, it will definitely have you cheering for him. Who could resist a man who enters a championship under the pseudonym “Arnold Palmtree”?

Movie Review: Armageddon Time

For me, watching a film set in the US in the eighties is like watching a grainy home movie. Yes, I remember that song, and I think I had that shirt too, only it had a horse on it. While the period in “Armageddon Time” a coming-of-age film, set in Queens, NY in the days leading up to Ronald Reagan’s first election is one that I remember only dimly, it does convincingly nail what it’s like to be young back then: both the time specific (check out those quaint computers) to the universal (the feeling of trying on identities when you’re on the cusp of adolescence), which makes it, along with excellent performances from the cast, worth checking out. Also, it has Anthony Hopkins, as a kindly grandfather/mentor to the young protagonist (Banks Repeta) in what will probably net him an Oscar-nomination at the least. Need I say more.

On his first day of sixth grade in public school (which his relatives frequently bemoan as inadequate), Banks lands in hot water by drawing a caricature of his humorless teacher, but also bonds with a Black student (Jaylin Webb) who is repeating the year when they are both forced to skip gym, Jaylin for mouthing off. (“Gym is a privilege, people.”) Arriving home, Banks meets his grandfather who surprises him with a toy rocket as a gift, and also filches money so that Jaylin can attend the next week’s field trip to the Guggenheim Museum, as he lives with his grandmother who has dementia. We then meet his parents (Jeremy Strong and Anne Hathaway), older brother (who attends a stuffy private school) and grandparents, one of whom relates a story of Jewish persecution, and we learn that they are immigrants who escaped the Nazis, though not without some casualties on the way. Though Banks announces his desire to become a famous artist, his family is unenthusiastic and intend for him to go to college. And though, he and his new friend quickly bond by ditching the field trip and exploring Manhattan, a caustic comment on the subway as to how Jaylin will never work for NASA when older (his dream) puts a decided damper on the day. And when the two friends are caught smokin’ a joint in the boys’ room, Banks is sent to his brother’s school, while Jaylin drops out, deciding to avoid CPS by staying in Banks’ backyard clubhouse.

Ah, but I haven’t yet described the New School, funded by the Trumps who seem to spend half their day there pontificating about earning one’s success, in which Banks’ classmates are all cherubic Reagan supporters (I could mention that my own school did not educate the Future Leaders of America yet went for Reagan in a big way, but that’s another story) and casually drop the n-word. Banks is conflicted about what to do (if anything) but gets some advice from Anthony: Always speak up and be a mensch. Alas, Anthony becomes ill, and the weather gets cooler, and Florida starts looking pretty good to the two boys because eventually, Banks’ parents will clue into the fact there’s a boarder in their backyard. This results in a life lesson, in which Banks learns that a) life is unfair, and b) never bypass a leg up. “Armageddon Time” is a worthy addition to the Oscar bait flooding the theaters, and probably worth a few discussions with one’s own kids about prejudice and the importance of Speaking Up.