THE LIGHTHOUSE (2019) – My rating: 7/10

The Lighthouse is a psychological horror film directed and produced by Robert Eggers, who co-wrote the screenplay with his brother Max Eggers. Shot in black-and-white with a 1.19:1 aspect ratio, the film focuses on two lighthouse keepers who start to lose their sanity when a storm strands them on the remote island where they are stationed. According to Eggers, although the final story bears little resemblance to Edgar Allan Poe’s fragment “The Light-House”, the film began as an attempt by his brother Max Eggers to do a contemporary take on the Poe story. When the project stalled, Eggers offered to work with his brother and the project evolved into a period thriller with the Poe elements removed. I could have lived without The Lighthouse as it is a tedious, sad, and horrific movie, in my opinion.

In the late 19th century, Ephraim Winslow (Robert Pattinson) is sent on by boat to serve a contract job as a wickie (lighthouse caretakers) for four weeks on an isolated island off the coast of New England. Ephraim is to work under the supervision of an irritable elderly man named Thomas Wake (Willem Dafoe). The two must find a way to keep their sanity when the circumstances are insane. On the first day of the job, Winslow notices a hole in his cot. As he digs into it, he finds a small scrimshaw of a mermaid and stuffs it in his jacket. Ephraim observes Thomas going up to the lighthouse’s lantern room at night and stripping naked. Ephraim begins experiencing visions and dreams of tentacles in the lighthouse, tree stumps floating in the water, and distant images of a mermaid (Valeriia Karamän).  They must use chamber buckets to relieve themselves and there’s no means of communication or entertainment but there’s plenty of work to be done.  Over the course of his stay, Thomas demands Ephraim take the more taxing jobs—refueling the light, carrying heavy kerosene containers, and disposing of the two men’s chamber pots. As time progresses, Ephraim repeatedly encounters a one-eyed gull. Thomas warns Ephraim that it is bad luck to kill a gull, as he is superstitious that the animals are reincarnated sailors.

The Lighthouse is a disturbing horror story filmed in black and white, which made it more creepy.  It’s not my cup of tea, as I don’t like horror stories. However, it seems as though The Lighthouse is considered exceptional as it received 91% Rotton Tomatoes based on 300 reviews, with an average rating of 8.17/10.  The site’s critics’ consensus reads, “A gripping story brilliantly filmed and led by a pair of powerhouse performances, The Lighthouse further establishes Robert Eggers as a filmmaker of exceptional talent.” As if Thomas and Ephraim’s circumstances weren’t bad enough, a major storm strands them the very day they were to end their shifts and be picked up by ferry.  What is discovered and what happens during the storm is a bitter and horrific ending to a most horrifying movie. I do agree both Dafoe and Pattinson acted their characters brilliantly. As of January 30, 2020, The Lighthouse has grossed $10.9 million in the United States, and $4 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $14.9 million. I’m not sure of the kind of audience The Lighthouse attracts, it just wasn’t for me.  If this is your thing, The Lighthouse can be rented on Amazon Prime, Check It Out!

[THE LIGHTHOUSE is Oscar-nominated for Best Cinematography totaling one Oscar nomination]  

 

AT ETERNITY’S GATE (2018) – My rating: 7.5/10

At Eternity’s Gate is a biographical drama about the final years of painter, Vincent van Gogh’s life. The film is directed by Julian Schnabel, from a screenplay by Schnabel, Louise Kugelberg and Jean-Claude Carrière. Last year an animated, fully hand oil painted version of the last years of Vincent Van Gogh, was nominated for Best Animated Feature and told a very similar story – This movie, made with true life actors, was brilliantly done and I find the film indescribably touching. I’ve decided to deal more with Willem Dafoe’s performance and feelings about the movie, via a series of quotes taken from various places and the direction taken by Schnabel rather than the story content, which is already pretty well known.

At Eternity’s Gate focuses on Vincent van Gogh’s (Willem Dafoe) final years, which were spent in the South of France. The opening scene shows van Gogh chanting, “I just want to be one of them,” in a mournful voice. For painting is like breathing, eating or like drinking water for Vincent. The only person who had a clue about what it was like to be van Gogh was his brother, Theodorus “Theo” van Gogh (Rupert Friend) who also supported him financially as well as emotionally, despite his illness and heavy drinking. Vincent, the son of a Dutch Reformed minister, felt he was chosen to paint, despite the constant criticisms by other painters that determined his paintings to be sub-par.

Since van Gogh died at the early age of 37, DaFoe had his work cut out for him, as he had to shed more than a quarter of a century in age to portray van Gogh with such childlike faith and innocence. From the tugging off of his old boots to sketching them or lying prone in a French field, happily dribbling dirt onto his face, Vincent’s world was simple and full of beauty. In one scene, Vincent tells a credulous priest (Mads Mikkelsen), “Maybe God made me a painter for people who weren’t born yet.” Still, the world largely ignored van Gogh, putting him away in a series of asylums.

Director, Schnabel, captures van Gogh’s madness mostly from the inside: His shots are shaky and chaotic or slowed down to long, contemplative pauses; panicked when Vincent doesn’t know what he’s done, and blissful when he’s in the throes of painting or being held by his brother.

To portray Vincent van Gogh in At Eternity’s Gate, Willem Dafoe needed to learn to paint in a way that would allow him to see the world through van Gogh’s eyes. “The beautiful thing is you become van Gogh”. Dafoe had only a cursory knowledge of the artist before signing on to the film. “What I know about Vincent van Gogh is probably what most people know,” he says. “I had seen his paintings. I can’t say I fully appreciated him before this. I do now.” That understanding came from painting lessons, under the tutelage of director Julian Schnabel. “That was the key to everything,” Dafoe says. “It gave me very concrete examples to exercise different ways of seeing, and I loved that. This movie may have changed me for all time — not only in how I look at painting, but how I look at things.”

**** SPOILER ****

After van Gogh discharged himself from Saint-Rémy and moved to the Auberge Ravoux in Auvers-sur-Oise near Paris, he came under the care of the homeopathic doctor Paul Gachet (Mathieu Amalric) . His depression continued and on July 27th 1890, Van Gogh shot himself in the chest with a revolver and died from his injuries two days later.

I enjoyed At Eternity’s Gate immensely. Willem Dafoe outdid himself as the mad, depressed, alcoholic painter.  I don’t think Dafoe has ever portrayed any role in the same light as he portrayed van Gogh.  This movie is definitely not for everyone — as the scenes get pretty graphic as Gogh’s madness is displayed.  At Eternity’s Gate is more of a literary piece that might prove boring to some.  If you know the story of Vincent van Gogh and believe it to be a classic piece you can embrace, then go for it — Check It Out!

[At Eternity’s Gate is Oscar nominated for Best Actor]

 

AQUAMAN (2018) – My rating: 8.7/10

Aquaman is a superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is the sixth installment in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). Directed by James Wan, with a screenplay by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Will Beall, from a story by Geoff Johns, Wan and Beall. I am addicted to most superhero movies but had not really seen a full featured film about Aquaman, since there were none.  It is the third live-action theatrical film featuring Aquaman, following Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and Justice League (2017), and the first full-length feature film centered around the character.  I was not disappointed and the stellar cast gets a thumbs up!

Aquaman/Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa), the heir to the underwater kingdom of Atlantis, must step forward to lead his people against his half-brother, Orm (Patrick Wilson), who seeks to unite the seven underwater kingdoms against the surface world. In 1985 Maine, lighthouse keeper Thomas Curry (Temuera Morrison) rescues Atlanna (Nicole Kidman), the princess of the underwater nation of Atlantis, during a storm. They eventually fall in love and have a son named Arthur, who is born with the power to communicate with marine lifeforms. Atlanna is forced to abandon her family and return to Atlantis, entrusting her loyal advisor, Nuidis Vulko (Willem Dafoe) the mission of training Arthur. Under Nuidis’ guidance, Arthur becomes a skilled warrior but is rejected by the Atlanteans for being a half-breed and ultimately leaves Atlantis behind.

**** SPOILERS BELOW ****

One year after Steppenwolf’s invasion, Arthur confronts a group of pirates attempting to hijack a Russian Naval nuclear submarine. Their leader, Jesse Kane (Michael Beach), dies during the confrontation while his son, David Kane/Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), vows revenge. David later targets Atlantis at the behest of Orm, Arthur’s younger half-brother and Atlantis’ king who uses the attack as a pretext to declare war on the surface. King Nereus of Xebel (Dolph Lundgren) swears allegiance to Orm’s cause, but his daughter Mera (Amber Heard), who has been betrothed to Orm, refuses to aid them and journeys to the surface to ask Arthur for help, earning his trust by saving Thomas from a tidal wave sent by Orm. Arthur reluctantly accompanies Mera to a rendezvous with Nuidis, who urges Arthur to find the Trident of Atlan, a magic artifact that once belonged to Atlantis’ first ruler in order to reclaim his rightful place as king. They are ambushed by Orm’s men and Mera and Nuidis escape without having been seen, while Arthur is captured.

Orm visits Arthur while he’s in captivity and announces that their mother, Atlanna was executed for the crime of having a half-breed son, blaming Arthur and the surface for her death. He offers Arthur an opportunity to leave forever, but Arthur instead challenges him to a duel in the ring of fire/underwater lava. Orm gains the upper hand and nearly kills Arthur before Mera rescues him. Together, Arthur and Mera journey to the Sahara desert where the trident was forged and unlock a holographic message that leads them to Sicily, Italy, where they retrieve the trident’s coordinates.

Meanwhile, Orm provides David with a prototype Atlantean battle suit to kill Arthur, imprisons Nuidis upon learning of his betrayal, and coerces the remaining kingdoms of Atlantis to pledge their allegiance to him and his campaign against the surface.  After modifying Orm’s technology, a fully-armored David rechristens himself as Black Manta and ambushes Arthur and Mera in Sicily, injuring Arthur before being thrown off a cliff.  Mera nurses Arthur’s wounds as they journey to the trident’s whereabouts, and encourages him to embrace his destiny as a hero.

Wow, the first full length feature of Aquaman is fabulous!  Talk about eye candy, Jason Momoa is absolutely gorgeous and has turned out to be a fantastic actor.  If you thought he was good in “Game of Thrones”, you’ll love him as Aquaman.  I thought the movie was exciting and the special effects were out of this world.  Too bad these types of movies are not acknowledged for Oscars.  All the hard work that goes into the making of a movie like Aquaman should be honored.  There is lots more story to embrace here.  See how this fantasy comes together with surprises, twist and turns plus an ending you will love.  Aside from being a little long, I have nothing negative to say about this movie, it’s definitely worth your time and money to see it — Check Aquaman Out!

 

THE FLORIDA PROJECT (2017) – My rating: 7.5/10

The Florida Project is a drama directed by Sean Baker and co-written by Baker and Chris Bergoch. For many of the leading stars, this was the first time they had acted in a movie. I had no idea what this movie was about but became anxious half way through to see how it would end. While I needed much more, I thought it was a descent endeavor.

Moonee (Brooklynn Prince) is 6 years old and lives in Kissimmee, FL (which is near Walt Disney World) with her mother, Halley (Bria Vinaite). They reside in a motel called The Magic Castle where Moonee spends most of her time unsupervised with her motel-resident friends, Scooty (Christopher Rivera and Dicky (Aiden Malik), engaging in mischief, mooching from tourists, stealing, and other misbehaviors. One day the 3 children get caught spitting on a guest’s car. As punishment, they are made to clean the car plus Dicky’s father forbids him to play with Moonee and Scooty any more. Dicky is replaced with a new friend from next door who is living at the Futureland Motel named Jancey (Valeria Cotto). Dicky and his family relocates to New Orleans seeking a better life. Meanwhile, Bobby (Willem Dafoe), the manager of The Magic Castle is very protective of the children and tries to keep things in order. Halley struggles to pay the rent and hawks perfume to tourist in hotel parking lots and persuades Scooty’s mother, Ashley (Mela Murder), to steal food for them from the diner where she works. Once Ashley discovers the kind of mischief the 3 children are into, which includes setting fire to an abandoned condominium, she severs their friendship including stealing food. Halley moves on to a new venture, offering her services online as a prostitute, closing Moonee in the bathroom when she has a client. Bobby notices the activity and applies restrictions on unregistered guests in her motel room. Next Halley steals a client’s Disney resort passes to sell. When the victim finds her and demands his money back, Bobby gets involved and scares him off and warns Halley of eviction if she doesn’t stop all her illegal activity. Desperate, Halley approaches Ashley to apologize and ask for money. When Ashley mocks her for her prostitution, Halley beats her in front of Scooty.

The Florida Project is an odd movie because you are never clear what the project is.  Leaving unqualified adults to care for children is never a good idea no matter where they live, the end always yields the same results.  You will definitely have to see this one (preferably on DVD) to draw your own conclusions.  I thought the movie was informative but not enough depth to amount to anything.  Willem Dafoe was brilliant.  Check it out!

[The Florida Project was Oscar nominated for Best Supporting Actor (Willem Dafoe)]

 

THE GREAT WALL (2017) – My rating: 9/10

The Great Wall is the Best Picture I’ve seen of 2017 so far. Of course it’s only February, but I must say, I really enjoyed it. I thought it was an impressive story with a different and profound plot. There’s a significant amount of humor, which will ease the pain of feeling like you’ve come to see a horror flick. I will try to review The Great Wall without giving anything away because the element of surprise is truly a surprise.

In the time of the Song dynasty during the reign of the Renzong Emperor, a few miles north of the Great Wall, a mercenary group originally consisting of twenty men searching for black powder are being pursued by Khitan bandits, who have already killed a lot of the men. Upon escaping, the remainder of the men seek refuge in a cave but are attacked by something unknown, leaving only William (Matt Damon) and Tovar (Pedro Pascal) alive.  During the attack, William slashed off part of an arm with the hand in tact, (the rest had disappeared) so the two decided to bring the arm with them as proof of the kill in hopes of identifying what it was William had slaughtered. The next day, they stumble upon the Great Wall and are taken prisoner by Chinese soldiers of a secretive military sect called the Nameless Order, led by General Shao (Zhang Hanyu) and Strategist Wang (Andy Lau).

The Nameless Order is a Chinese military order commissioned by the Imperial Court of the Song Dynasty as a special division of the Imperial Army conceived for the sole purpose of repelling a horde of Tao Tei, who rise every 60 years. The commanding officers are shocked upon seeing the severed hand, as the Order believed the invasion was still weeks away. Suddenly, a wave of Tao Tei attack the Great Wall, and the battalions are mobilized. The Nameless Order is divided into FIVE SPECIAL UNITS: the Melee-specialist Bear Troop, the Acrobatic-specialist Crane Troop, the Archer-specialist Eagle Troop, the Siege Engine-specialist Tiger Troop, and the Horse-mounted Deer Troop.  During the battle, William and Tovar are freed by Peng Yong (Lu Han), an unskilled soldier from the Bear Troop and William, in turn, saves him during the attack. William and Tovar’s battle skills earn the respect of General Shao (Zhang Hanyu) and Commander Lin (Jing Tian), leader of the Crane Troop. Later, William and Tovar meet Sir Ballard (Willem Dafoe), a European who, like them, had ventured east twenty-five years ago in search of black powder and was also taken prisoner.  Ballard has been serving as an English and Latin teacher for some time. The three foreign mercenaries discuss developing plans to steal black powder from the storeroom and flee while the soldiers are occupied in battle. Later, Strategist Wang meets William and explains the situation and further identifies the Tao Tei.

I have avoided any information about the Tao Tei or further plots as not to spoil the movie.  You may think you know what coming but you don’t.  The Great Wall is truly exciting.  The special effects are fantastic and the story is very good.  The five special units were the most colorful, structured spectacular display of an army I’ve seen.  Each unit had it’s own color and it’s own function.  It was magnificent to watch.  Even the beating of the drums were spectacular and rhythmically spellbinding. Ego and pride are not the driven force in these armies, love and romance does not get in the way and revenge is not a motive.  Plans are executed by a driven leadership who wants the best for all the people at any cost.  I highly recommend The Great Wall in standard or 3D.

 

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OUT OF THE FURNACE (2013) – My rating 7/10

The best thing I can say about Out of the Furnace is Woody Harrelson who played notorious Harlan DeGroat, a drug addicted gangster who ruled in the Appellation Mountains and Christain Bale who played Russell Baze, a steel worker that’s down on his luck.  Their performances were outstanding.  Other than that, it was pretty much down hill.  This movie was oh so slow — even the music seemed slow except at the end when Pearl Jam’s “Release” permeated the screen.  There were no happy endings and no real message that I could determine.  The story takes place in North Braddock, Pennsylvania’s  steel mill  country and in the Ramapo Mountains of New Jersey.   The plot is basically about Casey Affleck’s character, Rodney Baze (Russell’s brother) who goes missing after he agrees to take a dive in DeGroat’s bare knuckle fighting event to even a debt between Willem Defoe, who plays Bookie, John Petty, himself and DeGroat.  Russell who lost his woman (Zoe Saldana) to Chief Wesley Barnes, played by Forest Whitaker, decided to go rogue while looking into Rodney’s disappearance.  This movie presented many questions for which I didn’t get many answers.  In fact, I had to read up on Out of the Furnace to find the truth.  I recommend Out of the Furnace on DVD if you have some time to kill, it’s interesting at best!

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THIS SECTION CONTAINS SPOILERS THAT PRETTY MUCH TELLS THE WHOLE MOVIE — IF YOU DON’T WANT TO KNOW, STOP HERE — DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER!
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Scene:  One night, Russell slams into a car backing out of a concealed driveway.  The camera zooms in on what appears to be the lower, lifeless half of a child’s body.  We know Russell had at least one drink before starting his journey home.

Question: Why is Russell in Prison?

Answer:  The child and the driver died in the car crash and Russell was arrested for a DWI.

 

Scene:  The movie opens with Russell and Lena (Zoe Saldana) in a loving relationship, playfully laughing and tossing around in their bed.

Question:  Why hasn’t Lena been to see Russell in prison considering how much she loved him?

Answer:  She left him for Chief Wesley Barnes.  One can only assume she thought this would be a more stable life — she also is pregnant by Barnes.

 

Scene:  John Petty reiterates the deal between  himself and DeGroat — (Rodney takes a dive which evens any debt between DeGroat and Petty).  DeGroat reluctantly agrees.

Question:  Why did DeGroat kill Petty and Rodney after the fight?

Answer:  You have to guess at this one because it’s not clear — I think he may have felt threatened by Rodney’s fighting skills.

 

Scene:  Russell larges two bullets in DeGroat.  While limping away, Russell makes a final shot from about 60+ feet away from DeGroat.  DeGroat falls.  We see no movement.  Chief Barnes is standing behind Russell shouting “don’t do it”, “put the gun down”, “let me make this right”.

Question:  Is DeGroat dead?

Answer:  Yes!

 

Scene:  The last scene shows Russell sitting in his dining room reflecting.

Question:  Did the chief not arrest Russell for murder?

Answer:  No he did not!

 

I was able to find out these answers via research, not the movie!

 

THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL (2014) – My rating: 7.5/10

Critics Gave The Grand Budapest Hotel a “Must See” rating.  Choosing to see Budapest was a risk taking adventure for me as I don’t like slapstick comedy. Obviously, I saw it anyway.  Hoping that it was going to beat out the competition, I let the other movies fall my the wayside in favor of The Grand Budapest Hotel, which was not exactly slapstick.  I can’t say I made the wrong decision but I can say it was not a “Must See” movie. There was an unprecedented amount of stars in this movie starting with Jude Law who played an interviewer/writer and guest at the hotel.  This is the story of  Gustave H, played by Ralph Fiennes,  a legendary concierge at a  famous European hotel between the wars, and Zero Moustafa, the lobby boy, played by F. Murray Abraham as an adult and Tony Revolon as a young boy, who becomes his most trusted friend.  This legendary concierge was a ladies’ man who had an infinity for blond, old, rich women.  When one of them dies, he gets blamed for her death.  This is when the movie takes form and any and everything goes.  From Bob Balaban playing M. Martin to Adrien Brody who plays the dead woman’s son Dmitri to Willem Dafoe who plays a depraved killer named Jopling, I was intrigued.  Stars like Harvy Keitel, Bill Murray, Owen Wilson and Edward Norton graces this film bringing it to a level of craziness I truly enjoyed.  I was happy to see one of my most beloved actors, Jeff Goldblum who played deputy Kovacs as part of this wacky cast doing what he does best.  If you like this sort of shenanigans, you will surely like The Grand Budapest Hotel.  I was entertained and I thought it was funny.  You might just want to wait for the DVD, as there were no special effects or any other reason to spend money for the price of a movie ticket.

[THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL is nominated for Best Picture, Directing, Cinematography, Costume Design, Film Editing, Makeup & Hair Styling, Music: Original Score, Production Design and Original Screenplay (writing)]