Now Playing

Here's a look at the new movies I saw this week.

The Favourite
Starring: Olivia Coleman, Rachel Weisz, Emma Stone, Nicholas Hoult, and Mark Gatiss
Synopsis: There are few filmmakers who have as daring a vision of storytelling as Yorgos Lanthimos. He might not make films for the masses, but if you're a fan of the craft and of something off-beat, you have to be drawn to what he's doing. A few years ago, he delivered "The Lobster" which was an absurdist film that had a legion of fans and a certain charm, especially in the performance of Colin Farrell. Weisz and Coleman were a part of that ensemble, and continue with Lanthimos on "The Favourite," a fantastically made and fantastically strange film that is earning a number of award nominations and figures to be a player at the Academy Awards. It earned a Best Picture nomination and acting nominations for all three female leads from the Golden Globes. Weisz and Stone are in the supporting category, with the great Coleman in the lead category. (I would quibble that I felt Weisz was the lead, but that's just probably my own read on the roles.) This is a film that is part drama, part comedy and all a completely engrossing and wildly unexpected. Coleman plays Queen Anne, while Weisz is her chief adviser, Lady Sarah. Sarah is, in fact, running the country for the most part while her husband (Gatiss) leads the war effort. Soon a young woman named Abigail (Stone) arrives at the palace. She's Sarah's cousin, but her family has fallen on hard times and she's pressed into service. Sarah takes a shine to her and offers her a position working directly for her and it's there she makes an impression on Queen Anne, soon driving a wedge between the Queen and her chief adviser. But it's a game that Abigail doesn't fully understand, and the plot takes a turn that's unexpected and ends in a weird place. This is a movie that works because of some of the wild sequences and dialogue, but mostly thanks to the performances. And of course, Lanthimos experiments with cameras, angles and the overall look, crafting a story that pops off the screen. There's a reason so many have been taken with this film, and I expect it to be among the leading films come Oscar nomination time.
Rating: R for strong sexual content, nudity and language.
Verdict: Four stars out of four.

Green Book
Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali, and Linda Cardellini
Synopsis: Here's another film that's a lock for award recognition. It was also nominated for Best Picture and received acting nominations for Mortensen and Ali, in lead and supporting categories, respectively. Director Peter Farrelly is best known for working with his brother to craft a different kind of comedy film, but he shines with this beautiful story of an unexpected friendship. Most have been moved by the work of Ali and Mortensen in this film, while some have questioned the plot a bit. I didn't feel like it was a movie that presented a white savior for a black man, but rather a film where a couple of men with flaws and radically different views of the world came together, found common ground, helped one another to be better and formed a friendship. That seems to be the story they wanted to make, especially based on the tag at the end that talks about how this friendship endured in real life. It's also an interesting look at cultures and the south during the period of the early 1960s, touching on a number of themes while taking time to build these characters and let these wonderful actors shine. Ali won Best Supporting Actor two years ago for his work in "Moonlight," and he's got a decent shot at a repeat for his work here. He's an incredible actor, and I loved what he did here. Mortensen is an actor who's never afraid of a challenge or bringing humanity to characters with rough edges, and he does so beautifully here, too. It's never a surprise where this story is going, but the wonderful performances and loving care of Farrelly make the ride worth taking.
Rating: PG-13 for thematic content, language including racial epithets, smoking, some violence and suggestive material.
Verdict: Four stars out of four.

Roma
Starring: Yalitza Aparicio and Marina de Tavira
Synopsis: Director Alfonso Cuaron is a master craftsman, and one that likes to take on the challenge of a variety of different kinds of films. He's given us a "Harry Potter" film, the post apocalyptic tale "Children of Men," the space adventure "Gravity" and the wilderness tale "The Revenant." All are wildly different, and all are great and beloved. The same is true of "Roma," a tale of 1970s Mexico that has topped Critics' best lists and was nominated as Best Foreign Film by the Golden Globes. The film, which is in Spanish, was financed by Netflix, which continues to make a big impact in the world of film. It's been on a limited theatrical run, but was added for Netflix customers on streaming on December 14. It's a lush and beautiful film, shot in black and white. It's deeply personal for Cuaron, coming out of his experiences growing up. It touches on class disparity, life and the political landscape of Mexico in the 1970s. But it's really a portrait of two women. Tavira plays an educated mother of four whose physician husband has left her, and left her life in shambles. Aparicio plays her maid, and caretaker to her children, who is grappling with an unexpected pregnancy. How these women deal with these turns of event, and how they are able to lean on each other, is a big part of what helps this simple story work. I didn't love it as much as some, but I was moved by the characters and the craftsmanship.
Rating: R for graphic nudity, some disturbing images, and language.
Verdict: Three stars out of Four.

Upcoming Releases:
Wednesday, December 19: "Mary Poppins Returns"
Friday, December 21: "Aquaman," "Bumblebee," "Welcome to Marwen," "Second Act"
Tuesday, December 25: "Holmes and Watson," "Vice"