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Hotel Transylvania: Transformania – Trust and Transformations

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Every Hotel has to close its doors eventually… but hopefully, it gets to do so when the time feels right.

In its fourth film, Hotel Transylvania: Transylvania comes at a time when Drac (Brian Hull, formerly Adam Sandler) is considering stepping away from the hotel game so he can spend more time with his new wife, Ericka (Kathryn Hahn). When word gets to Mavis (Selena Gomez) and Johnny (Andy Samberg), Johnny is thrilled! But Drac still has his concerns about letting Johnny have free reign over his beloved resort and convinces him that only monsters can run it. Determined to win Drac over, Johnny uses Van Helsing’s ‘Monsterfication Ray’ to correct that problem. However, after the ray goes haywire, Drac and his friends get to see what the world looks like through human eyes as they try to find a cure before it’s too late.

Directed by Jennifer Kluska and Derek Dryman, the wild and silly Hotel Transylvania: Transformania is meant to be the final film in the franchise. Written by series creator Genndy Tartakovsky, the script feels like a worthy addition to the series’ legacy as it continues the character development from the previous films. Led by Tartakovsky’s unique voice, the story still offers the same frenetic energy that families expect from the franchise. Returning stars Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez (now with a producer credit), Fran Drescher and David Spade seem as enthusiastic about the series as ever. (In fact, Spade’s role is drastically increased this time around.)

Even so, something feels… off about this Transformania. 

Vibrant animation still pops with colour but somehow doesn’t entirely capture the magic of other entries. The most significant change, however, stems from its cast which has seen significant turnover this time around. Although several of the original cast remain, gone are franchise stalwarts Adam Sandler, Kevin James, and CeeLo Green. While their replacements do an entertaining job of mimicking their original cast members, the mix of old and new cast members is noticeable. (This is especially true in the case of Sandler who has remained the franchise’s focus throughout the previous films.) As a result of these changes, the film feels more like a transition away from its stars as opposed to any sort of wrap-up for the series. (In fact, for a film that’s supposed to be final chapter, the film’s ending doesn’t feel like they’re closing the book on the franchise at all.)

Although the franchise has always leaned heavily into the theme of ‘looking beyond appearances’, Transformania’s body-swap storyline manages to take it to the next level. As Johnny and Drac learn what it is to live in the other person’s [literal] shoes, so too do they also begin to understand the difficulties of each other’s experiences. While Johnny relishes the power of being a monster, so too does it almost drive him to madness. At the same time, Drac’s experience as a middle-aged man is a pain-inducing (and entirely relatable) nightmare but it also helps him to see the world from Johnny’s perspective. As the two men live with the strengths and weaknesses of the other, a deeper bond eventually emerges between them.

Because at the heart of this Transformania is trust. 

For example, in Transformania, trust stems from one’s ability to see their value. Prior to the switcheroo, although Drac has grown fond of Johnny over the years, he still cannot bring himself to entrust him with the responsibility of the hotel. Johnny’s different ideas simply don’t align with Drac’s and so, he concocts an elaborate lie to prevent him from taking over. However, as Drac begins to realize the purity of Johnny’s soul, he understands how important he truly is to him. This reframing allows Drac to celebrate Johnny’s strengths and accept his faults, opening the door for trust to break in between them.

Filled with monster mayhem and madness, Hotel Transylvania: Transformania should entertain both kids and longtime fans of the franchise. Although, this is not a Hotel that feels closed. Just ‘under renovations’. With that being said, even though there definitely pieces missing, one has to hope that there’s a more fitting finale to the franchise.

This Hotel needs one last ‘grand re-opening’ in its future.

To hear our conversation with producer Alice Dewey Goldstone, click here (YouTube) or here (podcast).

Hotel Transylvania: Transformania is available on Amazon Prime on January 14th, 2022.

The Tender Bar – Learning “the male sciences”

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“Grandpa’s house was a revolving door of cousins and aunts, with a full complement of laughter and tears, with an occasional nervous breakdown. But above all, it’s where Uncle Charlie lived.”

The Tender Bar, directed by George Clooney and based on a memoir by J.R. Moehringer, can be characterized as a coming-of-age story, but it veers a bit into the philosophy of masculinity. While the film is very male-oriented, its story is appealing enough that women should find it enjoyable as well.

LILY RABE and DANIEL RANIERI star in TENDER BAR Photo: CLAIRE FOLGER © AMAZON CONTENT SERVICES LLC

It begins in 1973 when nine year old, J.R. Maquire (Daniel Ranieri, later Tye Sheridan) moves with his mother (Lily Rabe) into her father’s house, an event she views as a sign of failure, but J.R. finds exciting. His father abandoned them long ago. He is a semi-nomadic radio DJ who J.R. refers to as The Voice—after all, that is about all J.R. knows of him. Grandpa (Christopher Lloyd) is a curmudgeon who seems to resent having his adult children back in his house. (But at least he is willing to help support them.)

J.R. finds an important role model in his Uncle Charlie (Ben Affleck). Charlie is a bar tender at a local dive, The Dickens. It is there that Charlie (and some of the barflies that are always there) teach J.R. what Charlie refers to as the “male sciences”, simple rules of how to live and especially how to treat women. (The prime directive in these sciences is “You don’t hit a woman, ever, up to and including if she has stabbed you with scissors.”) Charlie is something of an autodidact philosopher. He seems to have read everything, and makes sure that J.R., who wants to be a writer, reads it as well.

CHRISTOPHER LLOYD and DANIEL RANIERI star in TENDER BAR Photo: CLAIRE FOLGER © AMAZON CONTENT SERVICES LLC

J.R.’s mother is laser-focused on him going to an Ivy League school, even though there’s no way she could afford it. In time he is accepted to Yale on scholarship, and the film explores his life there, and continues to build on Charlie’s life training. At Yale he falls in love with a beautiful and bright young woman (Briana Middleton). The relationship with her is something that teaches J.R. about trials that he cannot control.

J.R., with the help of family (which includes the patrons of The Dickens) and friends, slowly negotiates life without his father, life at Yale where he feels out of place, and entering adulthood with confidence—enough to face his father and to assert himself.

BEN AFFLECK and TYE SHERIDAN star in TENDER BAR Photo: CLAIRE FOLGER © AMAZON CONTENT SERVICES LLC

For all the “male science” aspect of Charlie’s mentorship of J.R., the philosophy that he teaches is applicable to all people. It can be summed up is a few important concepts: kindness, honesty, and honor. I don’t think Charlie ever uses those words, but through the instructions he gives J.R.—and through his actions—those ideas are clear. Such a view of life is certainly in line with Paul’s comment: “…Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Philippians 4:8 NRSV)

The Tender Bar is in theaters and is streaming on Prime Video

Photos courtesy of Amazon Content Services.

Being the Ricardos – Wanting a home

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“Lucy, I’m home.”

Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez were the biggest TV stars (by far) of the 1950s. Their show I Love Lucy was seen by up to 60 million people a week. That show took us into the home of Ricky and Lucy Ricardo, a small apartment filled with hilarity. But of course what is on TV is not always the same as real life. Being the Ricardos is Aaron Sorkin’s look at what might have been the reality behind the scenes.

NICOLE KIDMAN and JAVIER BARDEM star in BEING THE RICARDOS Photo: GLEN WILSON © AMAZON CONTENT SERVICES LLC

The film is set in one week as the TV show goes from a script reading on Monday to the filming of the show on Friday. As is common in Sorkin’s films, plays, and TV, this is very much and ensemble piece. We meet most of the key players in that first reading. Lucille (Nicole Kidman) and Desi (Javier Bardem) are the stars and the power behind the show. William Frawley (J. K. Simmons) and Vivian Vance (Nina Arianda) played their neighbors the Mertz’s. The show’s writers, Jess Oppenheimer (Tony Hale), Madelyn Pugh (Alia Shawkat), and Bob Carroll (Jake Lacy) are also at the table as the group starts the work on this week’s show. But this is not a normal week. It is beset with a number of stresses that could bring an end to the show—and the marriage.

There are three main stressors that complicate this week, all of which were actual events that threatened the show, but not all in one week as we see here: accusations that Ball was a Communist, Ball’s pregnancy, and Arnez’s philandering. This leads to a number of meetings with the network and sponsor about keeping the show on the air. Here we see Arnez much more in control of the business aspects of the show.

NICOLE KIDMAN, JAVIER BARDEM, NELSON FRANKLIN, and CLARK GREGG star in BEING THE RICARDOS Photo: GLEN WILSON © AMAZON CONTENT SERVICES LLC

There is also a great deal of rivalry among the other players. Frawley and Vance really don’t get along. Vance is resentful at having to play the older, frumpy Ethel Mertz.  Pugh and Carroll carp at each other over how the show should be. In the writer’s room, Pugh pushes for the character Lucy to have a bit more feminist influence. She doesn’t want Lucy to seem stupid. (Ball certainly was not.) Ball is constantly wanting to rework the show—all the way up to Friday.  All of this is brought out in the witty and acerbic dialogue that is Sorkin’s trademark.

This is not a film that tries to capture the comedy of I Love Lucy. It would be a disservice to the actors to expect them to recreate such icons, in part because we associate Ball and Arnez so much with their onscreen personas. Instead, this is a story about the real Ball and Arnez and the stress they had to work through as a married couple. As the story unfolds we learn a bit of their history together—their meeting, early marriage, conflicts of schedules that kept them apart until Ball demanded that Arnez play her husband on TV so they could be together (and hopefully save their marriage).

JAVIER BARDEM, J.K. SIMMONS, NINA ARIANDA, and NICOLE KDIMAN star in BEING THE RICARDOS Photo: GLEN WILSON © AMAZON CONTENT SERVICES LLC

Ball and Arnez, as portrayed here, are a complex couple. At one point they’re described as “either tearing each other’s heads off, or tearing each other’s clothes off.” Arnez was very much in charge of the business side, Ball much more on the creative side (although they both took part in both). Arnez, who had been successful in acting and as a band leader, is now a second banana to his wife, and that may have caused resentment. Much of what drives Ball goes back to their meeting. At one point, Arnez asks Ball what she wants. Her answer is, “a home”. She doesn’t care about a large house. She wants the warmth and security and love of a home.

All through this difficult week, we see Ball struggling not just with all the threats to the show, both internal and external, but even more with the threats to her marriage. That marriage is in large part the reason for the show even to exist. And when we know that, it gives a new meaning to that line that Ricky Ricardo spoke so frequently.

NICOLE KIDMAN and JAVIER BARDEM star in BEING THE RICARDOS Photo: GLEN WILSON © AMAZON CONTENT SERVICES LLC

Being the Ricardos is in general release and available on Amazon Prime Video.

Photos courtesy of Amazon Content Services.

The Electrical Life of Louis Wain: Caring and Connecting Through Cats

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Whether or not you consider yourself a ‘cat person’, there’s something electrical about the life of Louis Wain.

Set in Victorian London of the 1880s, The Electrical Life of Louis Wain tells the story of Louis Wain (Benedict Cumberbatch), an academy-trained artist who earns his keep by drawing portraits of animals from the county fair. Living with his mother and five younger sisters, Wain was committed to supporting his family yet constantly seemed to find himself at odds with the rest of society. However, his demeanor changes when he hires Emily Richardson (Claire Foy), a loving and inquisitive governess to care for his sisters. Despite their class differences, romance blooms between them. As such, their relationship frustrates his sister Caroline (Andrea Riseborough), causing tension within the family structure.

Directed by Will Sharpe, The Electrical Life of Louis Wain is an engaging and heart-warming piece that celebrates one of arts most unique voices in the last 150 years. While the structure follows standard biopic structure, Sharpe’s use of colour helps give the film a very different style that blends reality with the art world itself. Backed by another all-around solid performance by Cumberbatch, Louis Wain feels surprisingly earnest for a film that focuses on a man that spent much of his life painting cats. Nevertheless, there’s something joyful embedded within the film that simply charms (and even makes you appreciate cats a little bit more).

It’s worth noting that Cumberbatch is having somewhat of a moment in his career this year. With Oscar buzz regarding his performance in The Power of the Dog and his upcoming appearance in this December’s Spider-man: No Way Home, his name is everywhere right now. However, in Louis Wain, Cumberbatch gives one of his most delightful performances in recent years. When given the opportunity, Cumberbatch can either sparkle or simmer and Sharpe’s script gives him the opportunity to do both. Although the subject matter may seem odd at first, the story allows him to show his range from silliness and flamboyance to idiosyncratic to quiet pensiveness. In light of this, while Dog is gaining much of the awards attention thus far, Louis Wain may be a better showcase for his incredible talents.

There’s simply a beauty in this story that blends the energy of art leading into the everyday. Through his use of brightly coloured matte paintings and filtered shades, Sharpe plays with reality consistently and thoroughly throughout the film. There is a moment early on where light hits a prism, allowing colour to burst forth everywhere. As this blast of colour brightens up the room, so too does Sharpe use this to become an accurate depiction of the life of Louis Wain himself. In many ways, he was a man who saw the ordinary and extraordinary ways. Although social conventions forbid it, he decided to marry a woman who is both older than him and of a lower class. At a time when cats were seen as common trash, he viewed them as treasured pets. His life was one that sparked a unique flavor of joy, even if it went against the customs of the day.

At the same time though, Louis Wain was a man who carried an incredible burden underneath the surface. Although those around him primarily focused on his idiosyncrasies, there was a much deeper resonance within his soul. Despite the fact that much of his art focused on cats, he himself had a profoundly unique way of viewing the culture of his day. Primarily, Louis Wain saw the world through relationship. It’s worth noting that the ‘electricity’ to which the title refers is not about a scientific experiment but instead points to those things that bind and connect us. Wain could feel the energy in the room and believed that that was the currency of life. In fact, his love of cats stemmed from his belief that they were creatures of energy and eclecticism that was a spark to the human experience. Like his feline artistic muses, he too carried an energy that was misunderstood by those around him. Even if he was the only one in the world who felt this way, Louis Wain understood the power of relationship and the vibrancy that can enliven people who are loved by others.

With a strangely cryptic title and enthusiastic adoration of cats, The Electrical Life of Louis Wain is an unexpected joy that speaks to the value of everyone, especially the outcasts. By giving himself the freedom to bring Wain’s art to life, Sharpe creates a world that is energized by its style and invigorated by its star. In the end, Louis Wain becomes a film which begins with a love of cats and ends with a deeper appreciation for those around us. 

The Electrical Life of Louis Wain is be available in theatres on Friday, November 5th, 2021.

Justin Bieber: Our World – The Boy Becomes a Man

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Let’s be serious. You’ve already decided how you feel about this.

For over a decade now, Justin Bieber has been both adored and despised by the general public. For some, it was because of his music. For others, his antics as a 17-year-old with the world at his feet. He’s been criticized, analyzed and despised but, at the same time, admired and adored by his fans.

But everyone had an opinion.

Now 27-years-old and married, Bieber is a man who wants to move past his impetuous youthful years. Admittedly he still remains a divisive performer, though primarily by those who refuse to forget those tumultuous years of his youth. (He even subjected himself to a Celebrity Roast a few years ago, allowing others to poke fun at his image.) With his new concert doc, Justin Bieber: Our World on Amazon Prime, Bieber wants to remind the public of his talent while demonstrating that he’s become a different man.

Set on the rooftop of the Beverley Hilton Hotel on New Year’s Eve 2020, Justin Bieber: Our World is the pop superstar’s first concert in three years. Performing an outdoor concert in the midst of the pandemic for 240 guests and millions more streaming online, Bieber performs an endless string of hits from his collection, old and new, while observing strict COVID protocols. Directed by Michael D. Ratner, Our World may focus on the music but it also allows Bieber to speak for himself through backstage footage and quieter moments with his wife, Hailey.

Whether you love his music or hate it, one can’t deny that the kid has loads of musical talent. (To be fair, there will be those who deny that… but they’re incorrect.) With this in mind, World proves exactly how prominent his musical dominance has been over all these years. Featuring hit after hit, the performance is a reminder that his pop dominance has been consistent and constant. (Be honest. You know more words to Baby and Love Yourself than you care to admit.) Despite his massive pyrotechnics and special effect, he has a grown as a performer in his ability to connect with his audience, even in larger scale performances. Most importantly though, there’s something about him when he’s onstage that feels so much more genuine now that he did in his youth. Professing his love for his wife or simply speaking to his fans feel honest and even humble.

While one wishes that the film offered more insight into the young man’s mind or his redemption tour in recent years, World does give a taste of who he wants to be seen as by the public. With the limited behind-the-scenes footage that we get, Bieber is portrayed as a young man who truly cares about those around him. The title ‘Our World‘ is deliberate in that there’s a connectedness and support of others that pervades the film. From his wife to his entourage and staff, Bieber has genuinely deep relationships with his team. (Further emphasizing this is the fact that the film goes out of its way to remind the viewer that Bieber’s performance went by the strictest of COVID protocols in order to ensure the safety of his fans and crew.) Carrying himself with maturity, the boy wonder has finally grown up into a man who is doing his best to live with honour. This portrait of Bieber is of a man who is going to prioritize things that truly matter, whether it’s walking with his wife, wearing masks, prayer or his mental health. This is not the youth we once [thought we] knew. He is hard working, loving and, most importantly, humble.

While Justin Bieber: Our World may not win any new fans to his music, it certainly does portray the pop prince in a new (and healthier) light. Though many of us have pointed to him over the years as an example of the destructive power of fame, maybe it’s time for us to admit that our view of Bieber has been tainted by his past. From the age of 15, this young man has been a bonified hit-machine and Our World is a reminder of just how truly talented he really is.

Hopefully, it’s not too late for us to say sorry.

Justin Bieber: Our World is available on Amazon Prime on Friday, October 8th, 2021.

One Night in Miami: History for Today

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Regina King flexes her incredible directorial skills for the first time in a feature film by bringing Kemp Powers’ stage play, One Night in Miami to the big screen (or little screen, as it were).

One Night in Miami is a fictional take on a meeting between real life friends, Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), Cassius Clay (Eli Goree), Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge), and Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.) as they celebrate Clay’s title victory in 1964. At this time, these four very successful and world-renowned black men were at pivotal moments in their lives and careers.  Despite their stature, they continued to witness and experience the racism that was rampant in the 60’s, and still plagues us to this day.

Malcolm X was at a crossroads with the Nation of Islam and was in the process of pursuing his own branch of the Muslim faith.  As adversity continued to rise, he was growing weary from oppression, including numerous death threats.  Even so, he continued to be as passionate as ever about his activism and was invested in helping Cassius Clay transition to the faith.  

Clay, a confident and free-spirited man, was now a world champion boxer, and was quietly practicing as a Muslim under the teachings of Malcolm X.  He initially seemed timid about going public with his faith, and seemed to struggle when he finds out about Malcolm’s tribulations.

At the peak of his football career, Jim Brown was in the process of transitioning to acting.  We see a shocking hypocrisy with Jim’s backstory when he meets with a benefactor who is kind and welcoming to his face but then admits that they don’t welcome black people into their home.

Sam Cooke was the ultimate 60’s pop star who, according to Malcolm X, seemed to have his foot in the door of the white man.  Malcolm took issue with the fact that Sam wasn’t using his platform to speak on the civil rights issues facing the black community.

When these four men are in a room alone together, it sparks deep and passionate conversations about faith, civil rights, racism, and freedom.  As this was a stage play, we are blessed with numerous impressive monologues from each character.  This is an extremely emotionally driven piece and it certainly makes you think and compare the world they were living in with today’s culture.

One thing that Malcolm X said that struck me was that there is no reason for anyone to be on the fence anymore.  There are literally people dying in the streets everyday.  Black people are dying everyday and a line has got to be drawn in the sand.  This is so shockingly relevant to society today.  This is unfortunately the world we continue to live in and the world that we must change. 

One Night in Miami was a very impressive film that is not only entertaining but extremely relevant and important.  Each performance was incredible.  From the footage I have seen of these men in real life, the acting was spot on.  They had great chemistry on screen.  You believed their friendship but you also believed their disagreements.  And perhaps we can take a note from these men in the way that they support each other, yet don’t hesitate to call it out when there’s an issue and a potential for growth.

One Night in Miami is currently streaming on Amazon Prime.

Small Axe – West Indian Joys and Pain

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Some stories and the worlds they bring to us are too big for a single film. Sometimes that means trilogies or ongoing sequels without end (like Star Wars). But for Steve McQueen to bring us a vision of the world he grew up in, it required the Small Axe anthology. This is a series of five films, most of which are based in real stories, set in the West Indian community in London in the 60s through 80s. Each film is independent of the others. They each have their own tone. But they also have a common thread in that they reflect the life of strangers in a strange land trying to establish their lives and maintain their roots.

It’s a bit challenging to know how to treat such an anthology. Many of the individual films are being named by various critics in their yearend lists. The Los Angeles Film Critics Association named the anthology as Best Picture. When you first see Small Axe on Prime video (where it is streaming), it looks like a series with one season of five episodes. In reality the anthology is individual films that all hold their own, but they manage through those stories to create something greater than the sum of its parts.

Although the films don’t require watching in sequence, I’ll follow the order of the episodes as they are numbered on Prime.

Mangrove is the story of an important court case in England involving a group called the Mangrove Nine. Frank Crichlow and others were put on trial for riot and affray after a demonstration against police harassment of his restaurant, Mangrove. In their defense, they are able to show that there was racial bias in the police force and the entire legal system. It was the first time the courts took note of such bias. A key quote: “We must become the sheperds of our own destinies.”

Lovers Rock shows us a night at a music party. This is an evening filled with music, weed, hormones, and above all, vitality. This is not so much about plot as it is about being pulled in to the experience. There is a ten-minute (!) scene built around the song “Silly Games” that is astounding on many levels. It captures the love of life, the hopes and joys of that community.

A key quote: “You can’t wear church shoes to a blues dance.” (Well, it turns out you can.)

Red, White and Blue is the story of Leroy Logan who as a boy saw his father assaulted by police and as a young man joined the police force seeking to change it from within. It’s not really surprising that he not only runs into resistance to change, but is also the target of the systemic racism. A key quote: “You wanted us more British than the British.”

Alex Wheatle is based in the true story of the title character who becomes a very successful writer of YA books. He was abandoned by parents early on and grew up in children homes and the foster system. As a young man he begins to find his place in the world of music. But when he ends up in jail, his cell mate pushes him to find his roots and build his life from there. A key quote: “Boy, you have to find out who the f*** you is.” (That might well serve as the overall quote for the anthology.)

Education looks at the discrimination toward West Indian children in the school system. The schools very quickly moved children who had learning or behavioral problems to “special schools”. That doesn’t sound too bad, until we discover that the schools didn’t bother to help them learn or often even provide classroom supervision. A group begins to unite the parents to fight the system and save their children from a bleak future. McQueen himself was funneled off to a special school. A key quote: “There is nothing special about his school.”

The stories are filled with struggle and pain, but also with joy, community, family, and hope. There is a vibrancy to their celebrations, just as there is anguish in their struggles for justice and a chance to fulfill the dream that brought them to the UK. Throughout the series, there are various stories that come up from the West Indies or African culture that add even more texture to the stories that McQueen is setting before us.

The title for the anthology comes from a Wailers song. The chorus includes, “If you are the big tree/ we are the small axe/ sharpened to chop you down.” In every culture, be it the UK or the US or elsewhere, when the oppressed unite, they have the power to shape the future.

Photos courtesy of Amazon Prime Video

Mangrove – Demanding Justice

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“We must become the shepherd of our own destinies”

Mangrove, the opening film of Steve McQueen’s Small Axe anthology, is a tale of racial struggle against police abuse. It is based on the true story of the Mangrove Nine, a group of men and women put on trial in London. (Yes, that’s right, racial prejudice is not the sole possession of America.)

The first half of the film focuses primarily Frank Crichlow (Shaun Parkes), a Trinidadian immigrant who in 1968 has just opened the Mangrove restaurant in the Notting Hill area of London. It serves the kind of spicy foods preferred by Caribbean people. Almost from the start the police, lead by Police Constable Pulley (Sam Spruell), begin harassing Crichlow and the restaurant. The restaurant becomes a gathering place for the immigrant community. In time they take issue with all the harassment and plan a protest. During the protest, the police attack the crowd. In the aftermath nine leaders of the community are put on trial for the serious charges of riot and affray.

The second half of the film is a courtroom drama. The defendants faced many years in prison. Their very lives were in the balance. And solicitors and barristers told them over and over to trust the system. But the defendants knew that the legal system was just as corrupt as the police. Two of the defendants chose to represent themselves, which allowed them the opportunity to cross-examine witnesses and address the jurors. On the whole, the defense was an attack of the status quo of racial animosity. The trial became the first time the courts made note of the racial discrimination by the police force.

Thereare some comparisons to be made to The Trial of the Chicago 7 in that they occur roughly at the same time, both involve police caused riots, and the trials took on a rebellious tone. But this is by far a much better film.

The Small Axe anthology is a collection of five films by McQueen that focus on the world he grew up in. His parents were from Grenada and Trinidad. At least four of the films are based on actual events and people. It shows the black immigrant society as a vibrant culture of music, color, language, and joyous celebrations—but also frequently hardship because of a racist system.

This film shows some of the different manifestations of racism. (And we need to note that these forms are as relevant in this country as they are in the UK of the film.) The racism that we see in PC Pulley is the kind of blatant racism that repels us. (“The thing about the black man is he has his place. He’s just got to know his place.”). He and other police officers regularly hassle random black people for no reason. In court they suggest that all blacks are “criminal, prostitutes, ponces, and the like”.

But when the film switches to being a courtroom drama, the entire system comes under scrutiny for the ways that racism has been institutionalized, such as the make up of the jury, the way defendants are supposed to put their trust in the “professionals”, and the ways the judge fails to allow them to have voice. This kind of racism can be even more injurious because the system gives the impression of fairness, but often that impression is an illusion.

The film also touches on the responsibility of both intentional and accidental leaders. Crichlow really did not aspire to being a community leader. He just wanted to run his restaurant. He told one of the more strident leaders, “It’s a restaurant, not a battle ground”. But when circumstances continued to escalate, he had to make choices that pushed him into leadership. We also see in Crichlow the struggle of facing the risk that leadership brings. He is torn at times between doing what would be safe and doing what is right.

To do the right thing often is a matter of faith. Throughout the film, the defendants are told to have faith—in the judicial process. They hear it so often it becomes a joke to them that they should expect the system to come through for them. Others suggest that the characters need to have faith in the community to stand in solidarity. But at a crucial time, Frank, unable to sleep, sits on his bed and opens his Bible to a picture of his parents. On the back it reads, “In God you must trust.” There he finds the strength to carry on with what is right.

Mangrove (and the other Small Axe films) are streaming on Amazon Prime.

Photos courtesy of Amazon Studios.

Sound of Metal – A Place of the Kingdom?

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Is healing a return to what came before, or is it finding life anew? In Darius Marder’s Sound of Metal, a man has to decide what he will accept in his life that has been turned upside down. He discovers that what he thinks will make him whole may not be as good as he hopes, but he also discovers that there are gifts that he can tap into that will bring him peace and joy.

Ruben (Riz Ahmed) and Lou (Olivia Cooke) travel the country as the band Blackgammon, a punk metal band. Ruben plays the drums. Their trademark is that they are LOUD. Yet, when in private, they listen to much softer music. One day Ruben suddenly loses his hearing. When he goes to a doctor, the news is not good. It will not be coming back.

When Lou sees that he is beginning to return to an addict’s behavior pattern, she takes him to a farm where there is a community of deaf addicts in recovery. The community is led by Joe (Paul Raci), an alcoholic who lost his hearing in Vietnam.  It is a hard transition for Ruben. When he comes into the community, he is hyper-isolated. He can’t understand them when they sign. They can’t understand him when he speaks. He is more interested in getting his hearing back (through very expensive cochlear implants) than adapting to the world as a deaf person. His goals are different than those around him.

Riz Ahmed as Ruben in SOUND OF METAL Courtesy of Amazon Studios

In time, Ruben begins to learn to sign. He also begins teaching deaf children to play drums. But all the while, he wants more. He is always busy. He fixes things around the farm. But all of that is a way to avoid his feelings. Joe notes that his refusal to accept his situation is very much the behavior of an addict. Joe gives him an assignment: to go into a room with just a pencil and paper and write. He can write anything. It doesn’t have to be a story or even sentences. Just write and write and write.

The addictive behavior that Joe notes is interesting. It is not only the danger of drugs that Ruben must deal with, but the hearing life that he is trying to hold on to. It is hard to move forward when tied to the past. His desire to hear again—at any cost—is a barrier to finding something new.

I need to admit that when I first read the synopsis of the film as I prepared for AFI Fest, it wasn’t high on my list. But when I heard others who had seen it earlier rave about it, I made sure in include it in my schedule. It turned out to be one of my favorites of the festival. It is extremely engaging on an emotional level. Ruben struggles throughout the film, not just with his hearing loss and his addictions, but against a future he cannot see. Even as he begins to have some growth, he continues to be deeply troubled.

We also learn that this is in reality a spiritual struggle. That epiphany comes when Joe tells Ruben that he too needs to spend time writing and writing. When he can write no more, and there are moments of stillness, “that place is the Kingdom of God”.

That idea reminded me of the story of Elijah in 1 Kings 19. When the prophet felt overwhelmed by his struggle with King Ahab, he went to the wilderness to find God. He wanted to whine a bit. As he waited for God a mighty wind that could break rocks came, but God wasn’t in the wind. Neither was God in the great earthquake or the fire that followed. But then there was “a sound of sheer silence. There the voice of God spoke to him.

We often overlook the spiritual aspects of the struggles we have—whether it is addiction, illness, or the emotional struggle of the COVID pandemic. We want things to be “normal”. We want our pain to end. We think if we do something, or try harder, things will get better. But sometimes, what is really needed is to stop and wait for the voice of God that comes in the stillness.

Sound of Metal is available on Amazon Prime Video beginning December 4th, 2020

Uncle Frank – The Person You Decide to Be

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Family can be a place of pain or a place of healing. It can be the place we try to escape from or the place we need to return to. It is where we hear words that are like a knife in the heart or like the warmth of a hug. In Alan Ball’s Uncle Frank, it is all of those things.

The story is told from the perspective of Beth (Sophia Lillis), in high school when we first meet her. But the focus is really her Uncle Frank (Paul Bettany). During one of his rare visits to their southern family, Beth is fascinated by Frank and how different he is from the rest of the family. He lives in New York City where he teaches. Beth has no idea why her grandfather (Frank’s father) is so rude to him. When Beth talks with Frank he tells her, “You get to be the person you decide to be or the person everyone else tells you you are. You get to choose.” That conversation changes her life.

(L-R) Sophia Lillis and Paul Bettany star in UNCLE FRANK Photo: Brownie Harris Courtesy of Amazon Studios

Beth heads off to New York for college. When she crashes a party at Frank’s apartment, she discovers that he’s gay and has a long-time partner, Walid (Peter Macdissi). When Frank gets a call to tell him his father died suddenly, he and Beth drive down to South Carolina for the funeral. Frank doesn’t want Walid to come because he doesn’t want his family to know he’s gay. Walid, knowing that Frank will need his support, rents a car and follows them. In time the three of them are on a road trip.

As Frank talks with Beth on the trip, he recalls his youth and the discovery of being gay. It was young love, but it also carried a great deal of condemnation from church and home. After the death of his first love, Frank has carried guilt and shame all these years, even though outwardly he seems comfortable with his life (at least while he is in New York). But when his father’s will surprisingly and cruelly outs him, his emotional turmoil overwhelms him.

SOPHIA LILLIS, PAUL BETTANY and PETER MACDISSI star in UNCLE FRANK

It all goes back to that conversation between Frank and Beth about choosing who you will be. In New York, Frank is the person he has “decided to be”, but does not live that out when he comes home. His father has always looked at him with shame and loathing—that is what society says Frank should feel. When at home, that is who he becomes. That serves as a kind of demonstration of the way pride and shame often play out for LGBTQ people. They may go to gay pride events, but remain closeted to the people closest to them.

(L-R) Lois Smith and Margo Martindale star in UNCLE FRANK Photo: Brownie Harris Courtesy of Amazon Studios

However, Frank may be surprised by how his family responds to his sudden outing. The revelation may be hard for them, but these are people who have loved him his whole life. They may not be able to put that into words well, but it comes through clearly. There is a nice supporting cast that makes up this family, including Margo Martindale and Stephen Root as Frank’s parents, Steve Zahn as Frank’s brother and Beth’s father, Judy Greer as Beth’s mother, and Lois Smith as Frank’s Aunt Butch. While not everyone is welcoming to this news about Frank, there is grace that comes out in various ways.

Uncle Frank is available on Amazon Prime.

Photos courtesy of Amazon Studios.