Movie Review: Bob Marley: One Love

It’s a funny thing about songs. People can be extremely possessive about them, even if they had nothing to do with their creation and even declare their allegiance proudly and openly. My mom was once in a supermarket when her cashier became emotional about Whitney Houston’s “And I Will Always Love You” coming on. “Oh, this is my song.” she declared. Years ago, I was at a party when “No Woman/No Cry,” began to play, and someone next to me had the identical reaction. Now the new biopic: “Bob Marley: One Love,” is out in theaters, which adopts a nonlinear structure to charting the life of Bob Marley, a Jamaican artist who, through the medium of reggae, brought unity to Jamaica (and elsewhere) with his music. Of course, he had help from his bandmates, the Wailers, but Bob (Kingsley Ben-Adair) is the star of the show. As a record label executive puts it, humility is nice, but he’s the undeniable headliner. As for the songs, I thought of a tagline for an oldies radio show: “Get them stuck in your head all over again.” Though that is hardly a hardship.

If you’ve seen the trailer, you might expect the Big Concert, in this case, Smile Jamaica, to appear at the very end, but that is not the case. As someone who grew up with a steady diet of “Let’s put on a show!” movie tropes, with the bulk of the film devoted to the preparation and stretching out the suspense like taffy as to whether the artist and band will actually perform, this would make perfect sense. (In my youth, it was the “We Are the World,” concert that offered some proof that this trope could occur in reality.) Instead, we begin with Kingsley as an adult, his band firmly established, living in Jamaica with his wife Rita (Lashana Lynch) and children. The act of violence (shown in the trailer) aimed at the Marleys occurs early and does cause considerable pain and soul-searching but isn’t given quite the weight you might expect. Rather, Kingsley and his band head to London to record a record. While Kingsley is otherwise engaged, some of the Wailers go to Africa and record there, as well. There is tension with his manager and with Lashana, though that is soon smoothed over. Bob’s personality type appears to be the one where the inner landscape is perpetual blue skies and sun, until suddenly, there is a thunderstorm, and you’re scratching your head over where this sudden violence has erupted from. Unfortunately, Bob died prematurely, but he did do more in that period than a lot of people who had longer lives.

Is the movie worth seeing? Ziggy Marley, Bob’s son, appears prior to the film giving it his full endorsement. Another reviewer described it as a “slog.” I fell somewhere in between. Kingsley does a great job, though he has better teeth than the original Bob, and Lashana is terrific in her standing by her man role (she gets to do more than a lot of wives of creative people in the film). You will likely leave knowing a little more about rasta, and a little more about Bob, but I would put it in the “good, not great” category. Large chunks are devoted to the musicians simply sitting around jamming. But if you’re a Marley fan, you should probably go.

Movie Review: Lisa Frankenstein

When I was a kid, one of life’s unexpected pleasures was turning on the TV and discovering that we were now getting the Disney Channel (among others) for free, at least for a time. It was kind of like “winning” a minor prize in the Publisher’s Clearing House Sweepstakes, except instead of a pen or a watch that quickly quit working, you got a series of predictable but still fun series and shows to watch. Maybe a better comparison would be to a snow day. Which is relevant because this week’s movie. “Lisa Frankenstein,” set in the eighties, will soon remind the viewer of films of that period such as “Edward Scissorhands,” and “Heathers,” but also a Disney Channel movie. That sounds snarky, but I say that with all due respect. In any case, it does for REO Speedwagon’s “Can’t Fight This Feeling Anymore,” what last year’s “No Hard Feelings,” did for “Maneater.” And I say that respectfully, too. At least the director, Zelda “Daughter of Robin” Williams didn’t take it and do what David Fincher did to poor Enya’s “Orinoco Flow,” and put it in a sexual assault scene.

Starring Kathryn Newton (who is also due to appear in “Abigail” to dispatch an angelic child who “likes to play with her food”), “Lisa Frankenstein,” has strong echoes of “Cinderella,” too, as Kathryn is the misunderstood one in a family that includes her dweebish dad (Joe Chrest), wicked stepmother (Carla Gugino) and perky stepsister (an amusing Liza Soberano), although as far as I can tell, she doesn’t have to do any chores except keeping her bathroom clean. Like the Grimm heroine, her mother is dead, killed by an intruder/ax murderer, so her initial gloom is understandable and not just a byproduct of Being a Misunderstood Teen. (You can’t help but think what a prime role this would have been for Winona Ryder back in the day.) When Kathryn attends a party and her drink is drugged, she finds herself back in her haven: the local graveyard under a bust of what is going to be Cole Sprouse in just a bit. Since it’s tornado weather, one thing collides with another and soon Cole himself, in full zombie mode, appears at her door (luckily, when everyone else is out for the evening). Having a confidante and someone to make over perks Kathryn right up, Soon there is a whole lot of decapitation going on, as she seeks revenge and eventually finds herself falling for Cole, who lurches around like he’s been taking lessons from Emma Stone. But the path of young love is never smooth, although it usually doesn’t leave a trail of bodies in its wake. Will Kathryn ever find true happiness? And will Cole ever find a certain body part that you kinda need to have a successful love affair? Will the tanning bed play a key role in the climax. Yes, yes, and yes.

Because of the PG-13 rating, there is very little “disturbing” matter, though perhaps having just seen “Poor Things,” I am biased. “Lisa Frankenstein,” is to “Poor Things,” as Reddi Whip is to genuine whipped cream: a fun enough substitute, but nobody would ever confuse the two. I wasn’t expecting this kind of movie from Diablo Cody, the scriptwriter, but it’s amusing enough and doesn’t overstay its welcome. Which these days, is something.

Movie Review: Argylle

Let’s be honest. Most people who write, either for a living or as a sideline, do not live the most interesting, read cinema-worthy lives. Anyone following me around with a video camera, attempting to document my life, would conk out fairly soon. Some writers are the descendants of writers (and have also inherited their mood disorders); others aren’t, so the question of whether they are born or made is still up for debate. In “Argylle,” how the main character (Bryce Dallas Howard) comes to produce five best-sellers is complicated, more so than she believes. When taking questions about her latest in the popular thriller/romance series starring a super-spy (Henry Cavill), she admits that she is actually not a spy (as one questioner jokes) but someone who has the “bum glue” (as mystery novelist Elizabeth George puts it) to do exhaustive research into her subjects to make sure they are accurate as well as intriguing. Of course, there is far more to the story of how Bryce has succeeded in her career than this, which we learn as the movie unfolds with a series of twists some of which you will see coming a mile away and others which may be a surprise. (Keeping twists a secret often relies on reviewers being discreet as well as being coy with the published cast lists. I’ll try not to give away too many here.)

Yes, Bryce is your typical single adult woman novelist complete with a Scottish Fold (I think) cat named (you guessed it) Alfie, after a major character, (who she thankfully does not call her “fur baby”) with absolutely no interest in real-life romance, so you know what that means. Her mother (Catherine O’Hara having a blast) loves her new novel but demands an additional chapter to find out what happens next. Unfortunately, Bryce’s plot eerily resembles events and international intrigue involving a shadow spy organization, and as one character explains she’s “kicked the hornet’s nest.” Soon a mysterious stranger on a train in “espionage” (Sam Rockwell) who plops himself down across from her is kicking ass literally, and takes her along on the run, as she is targeted by bad guys (led by Bryan Cranston, who I never imagined could play an evil mastermind when he was building a domino village in “Malcolm in the Middle“). Soon, Bryce is running around in mom jeans, a librarian’s cardigan and (the ultimate single woman’s accessory) a backpack with her cat in it, as she learns shocking secrets about her past, attempts to ferret out foe from friend, and eventually begins to kick ass herself. Sam and Bryce eventually pay a visit to Samuel Jackson himself, who is living a not-so-leisurely life in an Italian villa/winery. Can she find the secret flash drive in time before she meets an untimely fate? Will the cat play a key role in dispatching the villains? Will the revenge involve clouds of Technicolor smoke and dance choreography as if Nuclear Physicist Barbie was conducting the Trinity Test? Yes, to all.

There were actually more people in the theater when I went to see “Poor Things,” recently, but I had a good time. “Argylle” doesn’t take itself too seriously, It, too, deals with a woman whose memory of her past has been manipulated with so she can be controlled, so there are those similarities. Although I can’t see Emma Stone going full Tonya Harding, which Bryce does in a later scene. Ah well.

Movie Review: Poor Things

Hollywood seems to have a penchant for releasing movies with the same subject at roughly the same time, though if it’s from coincidence, I do not know. According to recent trailers, in a month or so, we’re going to be treated to dueling imaginary friend movies, which I am not entirely sure there is a demand for but whatever. Another pairing this year could be “Poor Things,” which is back in theaters due to its Oscar nominations and “Lisa Frankenstein,” which is going to be out in a couple of weeks. The latter is apparently about a young woman in the eighties who believes it’s possible to have a good relationship with a flawed guy by fixing him – literally. In “Poor Things,” a young woman is the subject of such an experiment and embarks on a journey of self-discovery. Having seen “Poor Things,” all I can say is that it makes last year’s “Barbie,” in which the male characters are not portrayed flatteringly pale in comparison. It also makes me want to (almost) view the Oscars this year to see which clips of it are included in montages. My guess is the ones reminiscent of the “I’ll have what she’s having,” scene from “When Harry Met Sally” won’t make it in. And, please, don’t go see it with your folks.

In a role he was born to play, Willem Dafoe is the Frankenstein-like creator of Bella Baxter (Emma Stone), a young woman who teeters around his home who appears to be mentally challenged but still beguiling at times, with her puffed sleeve outfits that make her look on the way to a ball in “Anne of Green Gables.” We learn that Willem was the subject of his psychotic father’s experiments when young, hence his deformed visage that creeps out his medical students, although one (Ramy Youssef) is more taken with Willem’s supposed brilliance and becomes his protege. Ramy becomes attracted to Emma as he observes her behavior and begins to see her more as a potential suitor than a subject. Alas, a cad straight out of Jane Austen (Mark Ruffalo) swoops in and persuades Emma to jaunt off to see the world with him which is when the scenery begins to turn Technicolor as Emma realizes she’s not in Kansas, I mean London, after all. Pretty soon, Emma is enjoying “furious jumping,” i.e. sex with Mark, although she meets an elderly woman who informs her that the sex drive lessens as one ages. The woman’s companion introduces Emma to the concept of poverty which horrifies her to the core. Eventually, Mark and Emma wind up in Paris where Emma learns she can parlay her jumping ability into earning money which causes Mark to gnash his teeth and throw tantrums. After a stint in a brothel where Emma meets some more cads, she learns exactly what Willem did to her and echoes Sejanus in “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” i.e. “You’re monsters, all of you.” However, Emma winds up content in the end because why not?

I admit I had more than one moment where I checked the time, hoping it had passed – it sometimes seemed to stand still while watching this. However, critics have raved about it, though with me it was a case of the emperor, or empress, having no clothes.