RICHARD JEWELL (2019) – My rating: 8/10

Richard Jewell is a biographical drama directed and produced by Clint Eastwood and written by Billy Ray. It is based on the 1997 Vanity Fair article “American Nightmare: The Ballad of Richard Jewell” by Marie Brenner, and the 2019 book The Suspect by Kent Alexander and Kevin Salwen. The film depicts the Centennial Olympic Park bombing and its aftermath during the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, in which security guard Richard Jewell found a bomb and alerted authorities to evacuate, only to later be wrongly accused of having placed it himself.

In 1986, Richard Jewell (Paul Walter Hauser) finds employment as an office supplies distributor in a small public law firm. Richard being overweight is mocked behind his back by colleagues. Meanwhile, his over the top boss, attorney Watson Bryant (Sam Rockwell) forms a bond with Richard over arcade games and candy bars. It was nothing to hear Watson yelling over the phone or banging the receiver endlessly when he was upset.  Eventually, Richard leaves the job for a position as a security guard at Piedmont College moving him closer toward his goal of being in law enforcement. Richard took enforcing law much more seriously than most. In some cases, Richard would over-exaggerate the complexity of the situation and react with force or harassment, unnecessarily. After 10 years filled with multiple complaints from students as well as acting outside his jurisdiction, he gets fired by the university’s dean, Dr. W. Ray Cleere (Charles Green). After being fired, Richard is forced to move back home with his mother Bobi (Kathy Bates). Soon, Richard obtains a new position as a security guard during the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia and is stationed at Centennial Park.

**** SOME SPOILERS BELOW ****

Richard along with other law enforcement officers maintain security during the various concerts and events taking place at the venue. Sometime after midnight on the morning of July 27, 1996, after chasing off some drunken delinquents, Richard discovers a suspicious backpack beneath a bench beside the NBC broadcast tower. Not knowing what was in the backpack, Richard insisted that they call 911 to report it.  Meanwhile, someone calls the police and says “there’s a bomb in Centennial Park, you’ve got 30 minutes”.  The bomb explodes killing two people and injuring over 100. In the immediate aftermath, Richard is heralded as a hero who saved many of the attendees’ lives and is swarmed by media outlets. However, at Atlanta’s FBI office, agent Tom Shaw (Jon Hamm) has been alerted by the dean who fired Richard that based on information from his past records, Richard could be a suspect instead of a hero.

Richard Jewell is based on a true story and was very good.  The only problem is if you’re unfamiliar with the incident, we won’t know how much of what we’re seeing is accurate.  In the case of Richard Jewell, there are people protesting against the portrayal of the female reporter, Kathy Scruggs (Olivia Wilde) because she has passed on and unable to defend herself.  Some think the movie was too hard on her and perhaps didn’t really know if she was willing to sleep with anyone to get a story on the front page of the newspaper she worked for.  Meanwhile, what the FBI did to Richard and his mother, Bobi was truly devastating.  They even tried to label him a homosexual without any evidence.  This story actually had me crying, as Bobi made a speech that broke my heart.  Richard Jewell received generally positive reviews from critics and was chosen by the National Board of Review as one of the ten best films of the year, with Kathy Bates also being recognized for Best Supporting Actress. The film made $5 million on a $45 million budget it’s opening weekend. See Richard Jewell, it’s worth your time. Check It Out!

[RICHARD JEWELL is Oscar Nominated for Best Supporting Actress — Totaling 1 Oscar nomination]

LATE NIGHT (2019) – My rating: 8/10

Late Night is a comedy-drama directed by Nisha Ganatra from a screenplay by Mindy Kaling. Amazon Studios bought the domestic distribution rights for a record $13 million. The plot follows the host of a late-night talk show who teams up with her new female staff writer in an attempt to save her position and her career.  Late Night is definitely a feel-good movie that’s funny and heart felt, all while it’s also addressing diversity.

Legendary talk-show host Katherine Newbury (Emma Thompson) is a pioneer in her field. The only woman ever to have a long-running program on late night, she keeps her “all male” writers’ on a short leash, not even knowing their names. She is stern, unsympathetic, selfish and self centered, so after her ratings plummeted, rumors started swirling that Katherine is a “woman who hates women”.  To make matters worse, Katherine also hears she is being replaced by a younger, hipper male host Daniel Tennant (Ike Barinholtz, so she demands that her team of writers make her funny and relevant again. Katherine’s right-hand-man Brad (Denis O’Hare), under pressure, impulsively hires Molly Patel, (Mindy Kaling) a chemical plant efficiency expert from suburban Pennsylvania, as the first and only female (who, by the way, has never written comedy), to join Katherine’s writing staff.  As a lifelong fan, Molly is determined to prove she’s not just a diversity hire, but the one person who can turn her idol’s career around. Going against everything Katherine has staked her reputation on, she urges her to make the show more contemporary, authentic and personal, a move that could make Molly’s career ― or send her back to the chemical plant for good, as well as end Katherine’s career in the process.

Late Night is a charming, funny film that gives you a rest from all the current events of today.  The cast is brilliant and the chemistry between Emma Thompson and Mindy Kaling gives you all kinds of “warm fuzzzys”.  Emma brought reality to her character as she made a believer out of me.  There’s a lot more to this story. I was thoroughly entertained as I laughed, clapped and backed some policies out loud.  John Lithgow, who played Katherine’s husband Walter,  was convincing as the understanding husband who is sick but still able to mingle.  The film received positive reviews from critics, with praise for its social satire and commentary, as well as Thompson’s performance. I highly recommend Late Night to all.  There’s a good messages in it for everyone.  Check It Out!

 

BLACKkKLANSMAN (2018) – My rating: 9/10

BlacKkKlansman is a biographical crime film co-written and directed by Spike Lee, based on the memoir, Black Klansman (2014) by Ron Stallworth. The film is produced by Lee, Raymond Mansfield, Shaun Redick, Sean McKittrick, Jason Blum, and Jordan Peele. I didn’t know quite what to expect from this movie — I went to see it without much information going in. To my surprise, based on a true story, BlacKkKlansman has turned out to be Spike Lee’s best, complete with a “scientific explanation” of white racial superiority by Dr. Kennebrew Beaureguard (Alec Baldwin), and my personal favorite.

Set in 1972 Colorado Springs, the plot follows the first African-American detective in the police department, who sets out to infiltrate and expose the local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan. In order to achieve this goal, Detective Ron Stallworth (John David Washington) will need the permission from the police department, Chief Bridges (Robert John Burke) as well as a White counter part, who turns out to be David “Flip” Zimmerman (Adam Driver) to make actual appearances to the KKK.

Ron’s first encounter was with national civil rights leader, Kwame Ture (Cory Hawkins), who has taken the name of African leaders. At the rally, Ron meets Patrice Dumas (Laura Harrier), the president of the black student union at Colorado College. Now a member of the intelligence division, Ron calls the president of the Colorado Springs chapter, Walter Breachway (Ryan Eggold) pretending to be a White man.

Not to be a comedy, there were several scenes that had me laughing my head off. I found BlacKKKlansman to be an inspiration to all humans and a very well acted and well written movie.  Note:  John David Washington is the real life son of Denzel Washington.  There are a host of brilliant actors in the movie with a plot you have to see to believe.  BlacKkKlansman sends a powerful message, which couldn’t have come at a better time.  Hate is so ugly and unnecessary.  What a waste of your mind when all you do is focus on race.  I urge everyone to see this movie, which by the way, is not for kids.  See it, I’m sure you’ll enjoy every second of BlacKkKlansman. Check it Out!

[BlackKkKlansman is Oscar nominated for BEST: Picture, Supporting Actor, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Original Score and Best Film Editing]