Movie/TV Reviews

Susan Granger’s review of “It Ends With Us” (Columbia/Sony)

 

The romantic drama “It Ends With Us” has become far better known for its behind-the-scenes controversy than its impact at the box-office.

When actor/producer/director Justin Baldoni optioned Colleen Hoover’s bestselling 2016 novel about a toxic, abusive relationship and cast Blake Lively as its star, he obviously had no inkling about the on-set tension that would erupt.

But after filming was completed, Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds deliberately avoided Baldoni and his wife Emily at the premieres. Apparently, Lively, having just given birth to her fourth child, felt Baldoni had “fat-shamed” her about her body and allegedly lingered too long in a kissing scene.

Other members of the cast seemed to side with Lively, although Baldoni’s friends steadfastly claim he’s a male feminist and would never behave that way. The conclusion seems to be that Lively & Baldoni had “creative differences.”

So what about the picture itself?

After surviving a difficult childhood in Plethora, Maine, Lily Bloom (Lively) has always dreamed of owning her own flower shop in Boston, where she meets Ryle Kincaid (Baldoni), a charming yet volatile neurosurgeon.

But then the first-love-of-her-life, protective Atlas Corrigon (Brandon Sklenar), reappears, and Lily faces a painful choice – which involves breaking the insidious cycle of domestic violence that entraps one generation after another.

Adapted by screenwriter Christy Hall, it’s related through Lily’s sensitive perspective, often lacking subtlety and glossing over violent parts of the story, demonstrating how intimidating abusive partnerships can be. Clichés and contrivances abound, many of which can be traced to the original book.

Flashbacks between teenage Lily (Isabela Ferrer) and homeless Atlas (Alex Neustaedter) reveal the traumas that shaped both of their lives.

Bottom Line: the theme serves as a reminder to domestic abuse victims that there is a way out. But it’s questionable whether Baldoni will direct Colleen Hoover’s sequel, “It Starts With Us,” which his Wayfarer Films also optioned.

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “It Ends With Us” is a slow-building, redemptive 6 – now streaming on Netflix.

Susan Granger’s review of “The Six Triple Eight” (Netflix)

 

Like “Hidden Figures,” the 2016 film that heralded unsung Black female NASA mathematicians, “The Six Triple Eight” tells the true story of first and only Women’s Army Corps unit of color to serve overseas in World War II.

Led by 26 year-old Major Charity Adams (Kerry Washington), their mission was not only important but seemingly impossible: the 855 Black women were given just six months to sift through 17 million pieces of undelivered letters – to soldiers and from them – which had been dumped in canvas bags stored in numerous airplane hangars in Glasgow, Scotland.

 “No mail, low morale” was their mantra.

Their tale is told through the eyes of Pvt. Lena Derriecott King (Ebony Obsidian), a spirited Pennsylvania teenager who impulsively enlists in 1943 soon after her high-school boyfriend Abram David (Gregg Sulkin), a pilot, is killed in combat.

At that time, Black troops – both male and female – were segregated at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, and the women were shown little or no respect by the Caucasian officers – until activist/educator Mary McLeod Bethune (Oprah Winfrey) sought help from formidable First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt (Susan Sarandon).

Even then, after they were shipped overseas in 1945, the Black WACs were given no training and decrepit facilities in which to live and work. Their ruthlessly condescending Commanding Officer, General Halt (Dean Norris), is openly racist.

Nevertheless, utilizing inventive ways of sorting/identifying the backlog of mail, they got the job done in fewer than three months and proudly became known the 6888^th Central Postal Directory Battalion.

Helmed and co-written by Tyler Perry, who adapted it from historian Kevin Hymel’s 2019 article in WW II History Magazine, it’s compelling despite Perry’s pedantic dialogue and shamelessly manipulative direction, leading to the actors’ somewhat stiff, stilted performances.

During the end-credits, there are archival glimpses of the real-life WACs, including footage of Michelle Obama paying tribute to two of the survivors and acknowledgment that Fort Gregg-Adams was named for Charity Adams.

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Six Triple Eight” is an inspirational, historically significant 7, streaming on Netflix.

Susan Granger’s review of “Nightbitch” (Searchlight Pictures)

 

The concept of motherhood is changing. According to a recent Pew Research study, many young adults have decided not to have children – more women than men. They cite many practical reasons – like the environment and high cost of living – but, above all, for women, it’s all about the sacrifices they must make.

So it’s incredibly timely how Amy Adams’ new dark comedy “Nightbitch” captures both the happiness and horror of motherhood, along with the tedium of suburban domesticity.

Known for her sculptures and installations, Mother (Adams) was once an accomplished artist. Then along came Son (twins Arleigh Patrick & Emmett James Snowden). Mother dutifully stays home to tend Son while Husband (Scoot McNairy) goes off to work at a job that often takes him out of town.

“Happiness is a choice,” she’s told. But when you’re sleep-deprived/exhausted by being ‘on-call’ 24/7 to a demanding toddler, something’s gotta give insofar as sanity is concerned.

That’s when vulnerable Mother – fueled by anger at Husband – discovers that she’s growing feral, turning into a dog – a magnificent red husky – which doesn’t ultimately bode well for the family cat.

Based on Rachel Yoder’s bizarre 2021 novel, this feminist fable is adapted and directed by Marielle Heller (“Diary of a Teenage Girl,” “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”), who often punctuates Mother’s reactions with candid fantasy sequences – like in the grocery store when she rants at the former colleague who took her place at the art gallery or when she’s attending Book Babies sing-alongs at the library.

“I am deeply afraid that I am never going to be smart, or happy, or thin, ever again,” Mother confesses.

Bottom line: the plot examines what happens to a marriage when a modern couple slips into retro gender-defined roles. Inevitably, there’s a challenge and a showdown: 

“What happened to my curious, freewheeling wife?” bewildered Husband inquires. “She died in childbirth,” is harried, haggard Mother’s resentful reply.

On the Grange Gauge of 1 to 10, “Nightbitch” is a perceptively bitter, sardonic, surreal 7 – streaming on Hulu and Hulu through Disney+.  

‘Tis the season to rejoice over memories of your favorite Christmas movies – but where to stream them? Here’s a handy guide to where you can find your classic preferences, along with some eclectic oddities:

HBO MAX

“A Christmas Carol” (1938) – Reginald Owen is Scrooge

“A Christmas Story” (1983) – Ralphie wants a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas

“Elf” (2003) – Will Ferrell discovers he’s not really a North Pole elf.

“Four Christmases”

“Fred Claus”

“Gremlins” (1984)

“Jack Frost”

“Miracle on 34^th Street” (1947) – What happens when Kris Kingle becomes Macy’s Santa?

“National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” (1980) – frolic with the Griswold family

“The Polar Express” (2004) – animated

DISNEY+

“Home Alone” (1990) – An eight year-old his accidentally left behind on a family trip…plus “Home Alone 2” and “Home Alone 3”

“A Muppet Christmas Carol” (1992) – Michael Caine joins the Muppets

“Jingle All the Way” – Arnold Schwarzenegger is desperate for a Turbo Man action figure (it’s also on Amazon Prime and Hulu)

“Noelle”

“The Night Before Christmas” (1992) – Tim Burton/animated

“The Santa Clause” (1994)…plus two sequels

“I’ll Be Home for Christmas”

“Miracle on 34^th Street” – both the 1947 classic and the 1994 remake

AMAZON PRIME VIDEO:

“Bad Santa” (2003) – Billy Bob Thornton is hilarious as a demented mall Santa

“Arthur Christmas” (2011) – animated

“Christmas With the Kranks” (2004)

“Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas Is You” (2017)

“Surviving Christmas” (2004 comedy)

“Holiday Inn” (1942) – Bing Crosby introduces Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” & Fred Astaire dances

“White Christmas” (1954) – remake of “Holiday Inn” with Bing & Danny Kaye

“How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (2000) – Jim Carrey is the Grinch

“Love Actually” (2003) – romantic comedy with Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant

“Meet Me in St. Louis” (1944) – Judy Garland sings “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”

“It’s A Wonderful Life” (1946)- Jimmy Stewart in the most iconic holiday films

“Santa Claus Conquers the Martians” (1964) – sci-fi fantasy about kidnapping Santa Claus

“Scrooged” (1988) – a weird adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic with Bill Murray

“The Holdovers” (2023) – Paul Giamatti at a boarding school

“The Bells of St. Mary’s” (1945) – Bing Crosby & Ingrid Bergman

“The Lemon Drop Kid” (1951) – Bob Hope comedy introducing the song “Silver Bells”

NETFLIX:

“White Christmas” (1954) – remake of “Holiday Inn” with Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney

“The Holiday” (2006)

“A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas” (2011)

“A Very Murray Christmas” (1915) – Bill Murray is the center of a star-studded variety show

HULU

“A Christmas Carol”

“Christmas in Connecticut” (1945) – Barbara Stanwyck & Dennis Morgan

“Christmas With the Kranks”

“Happiest Season”

“Deck the Hall”

“The Mistle-Tones”

“The Family Stone”

“Jingle All the Way”

“The Holiday”

“The Man Who Invented Christmas”

APPLE TV+

“A Charlie Brown Christmas” (1965) – Emmy/Peabody-winning Charles Schultz’s short

PEACOCK

“Die Hard” (1988) – Bruce Willis action thriller (also shown on AMC+)

“How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (1966) – animated

“Better Watch Out” (2016)

“My Santa” (2013)

AMC+

“Die Hard” (1988) – Bruce Willis action thriller (also shown on Peacock)

“Scrooge” (1951) – Alastair Sim is absolutely wicked as Scrooge

TUBI & YouTube

“The Bells of St. Mary’s” (1945) – Bring Crosby & Ingrid Bergman save a parish school

“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer & Island of Misfit Toys” (2001) – animated

 

 

 

Susan Granger’s review of “Landman” (Paramount+)     

 

Based on Christian Wallace’s podcast about industrial corruption within the big 21^st century oil boom in the West Texas basin, Taylor Sheridan’s “Landman” attracted 14.9 million viewers in its first four weeks, making it the biggest global premiere for any Paramount original to date.

Billy Bob Thornton plays Tommy Norris, a thoroughly disgruntled, disillusioned crisis-management landman whose job is to secure mineral rights for the small, independent oil company owned by Monty Miller (Jon Hamm), married to Cami (Demi Moore)..

A longtime roughneck, Tommy is all too familiar with America’s dependence on oil, a 150-year petroleum-based infrastructure. So expect to become acquainted with the personnel operating the oil derricks (the large metal apparatus holding pipes, drills, pumps, filters, etc.) that pull crude from the ground, refine it and prepare it for mass consumption.

That includes ‘toolpushers’ and ‘drillers’ who specialize in fracking, utilizing highly pressurized water to break ground. ‘Ginsels’ are low-level crew members who perform menial tasks, and the ‘worm’ is the most novice worker on an oil rig.

In addition to work, Tommy’s got his hands full with the ridiculously sexy, skimpily clad women in his life: his relentlessly seductive ex-wife Angela (Ali Larter) and 17 year-old daughter Ainsley (Michelle Randolph), along with his 22 year-old son Cooper (Jacob Lofland), determined to learn about the oil industry.

Drilling is a dangerous business so when a horrific ‘blowout’ occurs, Monty Miller summons Rebecca Falcone (Kayle Wallace), a ferociously intelligent, politically correct young attorney whose presence complicates matters further.

Since he’s admittedly $500,000 in debt, Tommy shares sprawling home with Nathan (Colm Feore), a company lawyer, and Dale (James Jordan), an oil patch worker; their provocative presence creates another interesting dynamic.

Although the series just made its debut, critics have already attacked Taylor Sheridan’s controversial assertions about renewable energy – particularly the concrete, crane and lubricants in wind turbines – and climate change technology.  

Tyler Sheridan’s best known for his “Yellowstone” trilogy, encompassing “1883” and “1923,” starring Harrison Ford & Helen Mirren, which begins its second season.

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “Landman” is an engaging 8, streaming every Sunday night on Paramount+.     

Susan Granger’s review of “A Real Pain” (Searchlight)

 

Nominated for 3 Critics Choice Awards (Best Original Screenplay, Best Comedy, Best Supporting Actor) and 4 Golden Globes (Best Comedy, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Screenplay), Jesse Eisenberg’s “A Real Pain” is on a roll.

The story follows two estranged Jewish cousins – cautious, pragmatic David (Jesse Eisenberg) and unpredictable, free-spirited Benji Kaplan (Kieran Culkin) – who reunite for a Holocaust tour through Poland to honor their late, beloved Grandma Dory whose childhood home they’re planning to visit.

Their travelling companions include wistful Los Angeles divorcee Marcia (Jennifer Grey), a stolidly boring older couple – Diana (Liza Sadovy) and Mark (Daniel Oreskes) from Shaker Heights – and soft-spoken, compassionate Eloge (Kurt Egyiawan) who fled the Rwandan genocide and later converted to Judaism.

The itinerary takes them to a number of picturesque stops in Warsaw and Lublin with a somber visit to the Majdanek concentration and extermination camp.

While their British tour guide James (Will Sharpe), an Oxford scholar, has an intellectual understanding of the statistics of history, outspoken Benji forces him into exploring a more visceral connection to these landmarks, much to uptight David’s embarrassment and exasperation.

David & Benji’s adventure takes an abrupt emotional turn when old resentments and tensions erupt against the backdrop of their shared Jewish family heritage.

Yet there’s relatable humor when they visit an immense sculpture dedicated to W.W. II’s Warsaw Uprising Movement and – urged by Benji – their various companions pose for photos, pretending they’re fighting the Nazis.

Written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg (“The Social Network”), the deftly perceptive comedic drama explores the various paths to dealing with pain, loss and suffering, accompanied by the complicated upheaval of self-discovery.  And look for Kieran Culkin to snag a Supporting Actor Oscar nomination to accompany his Emmy for “Succession.”

Cinematographer Michal Dymek makes the most of the contemporary Polish locations, and the sound track incorporates Chopin nocturnes, preludes, etudes, ballads and waltzes, played by Israeli-Canadian pianist Tzvi Erez.

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “A Real Pain” is an authentic, emotional 8, streaming on Amazon Prime, Apple TV and Fandango At Home on Dec. 31.

Susan Granger’s review of “Carry-On” (Netflix)

 

With so many of us planning to fly this holiday season, Netflix’s explosive thriller – evoking memories of “Die Hard” – “Carry-On” couldn’t be timelier.

It’s Christmas Eve at LAX (Los Angeles International Airport) and the rush is on. Thousands of travelers are loading their bags onto conveyor belts, eager to pass through security and board their designated flights.

For 30 year-old Ethan Kopek (Taron Egerton) and his unexpectedly pregnant girl-friend Nora (Sofia Carson) it’s a celebratory day. After being rejected at the police academy, Ethan’s been working as a low-level TSA agent just so he can have lunch every day with Nora, a supervisor at the same terminal.

Meanwhile, a mysterious Traveler (Jason Bateman) is determined to get a dangerous bag through LAX security. To make sure all goes as planned, he has a sniper (Theo Rossi) remotely ‘watching’ from a stolen van in the nearby garage.

After switching shifts with a colleague, hoping to secure a promotion, unsuspecting Ethan is told to listen carefully to menacing instructions given through a discreet earbud dropped off at his screening station.

When a particular black bag adorned with a red ribbon passes through his x-ray scanner, “All you have to do…is nothing,” he’s told. If Ethan doesn’t comply, Nora’s life is threatened, along with everyone else in the airport.

At the same time, the LAPD has been alerted to a mysterious fire which is being investigated by detective Elena Cole (Danielle Deadwyler) who somehow ties it to the treacherous plot unfolding at LAX.

Formulaically scripted by T.J. Fixman, duly directed by Jaume Collet-Serra (“Non-Stop,” “The Shallows”), and expertly photographed by Lyle Vincent, this is a sleek, suspenseful surveillance story with exciting chase scenes staged throughout the airport and deep into the bowels of baggage sorting.

Like making amiable Hugh Grant a psychotic killer in “Heretic,” designating likeable Jason Bateman as the villain is clever casting. And Taron Egerton delivers on the ‘leading man’ promise he showed in “Kingsman.”

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “Carry-On” is an escapist, stressful 7, streaming on Netflix.

Susan Granger’s review of “Challengers” (M.G.M.)

 

“People” magazine’s film critic Tom Gliatto just designated “Challengers” as his #1 favorite for 2024. While I wouldn’t go that far, Italian director Luca Guadagnino’s emotional entanglement saga involving three tennis players is certainly one of the most challenging in recent memory.

It begins as discontented top-ranked tennis pro Art Donaldson (Mike Faist) is nearing is 40^th birthday and obviously tiring of the game, much to the distress of his ultra-competitive wife/coach Tashi Duncan (Zendaya). To restore his mojo, she urges him to enter a low-level Challenger tournament in New Rochelle, New York.

What she doesn’t realize is that Donaldson’s long-time on-court rival, Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor) is one of the participants. Down-on-his-luck and so strapped for cash that he sleeps in his car, Zweig needs a win there in order to qualify for the U.S. Open.

The Donaldson/Zweig relationship is a complicated bromance, dating back to their years on National Juniors circuit, where they were doubles partners and inseparable buddies until they both fell in love with up-and-coming women’s star Tashi Duncan, who wields a powerhouse backhand.

While Donaldson’s so totally disciplined and dependable that he borders on bland, volatile Zweig slyly oozes a rakish energy that backfires as often as it succeeds.

As for Tashi, she flirtatiously plays precarious mind games with both her suitors that only intensify when she’s sidelined with a career-ending knee injury at Stanford.

While Zweig’wins’ her first, she shrewdly marries Donaldson and they have a hotel-loving daughter who seems irrelevant to the plot.

What distinguishes Luca Guadagnino’s (“Call Me by Your Name”) risqué, psychologically intriguing concept, scripted by novelist/playwright Justin Kuritzkes, from other sports-themed dramas is its essential ambiguity, a closing twist leaving the audience wondering who really wins at the conclusion – and does it really matter?

The on-court conflict is deftly chronicled by cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom and there’s a terrific techno score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.

For those who are curious, the cast ‘trained’ with tennis pro/coach/commentator Brad Gilbert and his wife Kim at a country club outside Boston. They ‘look’ good but much of the visual action is computer-generated.

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “Challengers” is an erotically-charged, enigmatic 8, streaming on Prime Video and MGM+.

Susan Granger’s review of “The Agency” (Showtime/Paramount+)

 

Combine CIA secrets with undercover espionage and toss in some big-name studs and you should have an intriguing new spy series, right? Unfortunately with “The Agency,” it doesn’t add up.

Using the code name ‘Martian,’ Michael Fassbender plays a world-weary CIA field agent abruptly summoned from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to his London base after six years of undercover work, leaving behind his lover, activist Sami Zahir (Jodie Turner-Smith).

After Martian connects with his Zoom handler Naomi (Katherine Waterson), he’s passed along to Henry (Jeffrey Wright), who tells him the Cold War is back, and the British station chief Bosko (Richard Gere) who answers only to Langley.

There’s a definite hierarchy here.

“There are 170,000 words in the English language,” declares Bosko. “Each year 2,000 of them become obsolete; they enter the great verbal bathtub of our collective being. Presently circling around that open drain are these words: stoicism, fortitude, duty, honor, sacrifice.”

Who talks like that?

Not Danny (Saura Lightfoot-Leon), a new recruit on her first assignment. “There’s a cost for doing this work,” she’s told. “A price. Are you sure you want to pay it?”

Meanwhile, a CIA-asset called ‘Coyote’ has disappeared in Belarus and, because he’s a reformed alcoholic, he may have been tortured/forced to drink liquor which would cause him to spill confidential information during an interrogation.

More complications arise when Dr. Rachel Blake (Harriet Sansom Harris) arrives from Langley “to evaluate mental health across the department.”

That’s understandable since everyone seems disgruntled. Martian soon discovers that his flat has been bugged, and he resents that he’s being tailed as he copes with his teenage daughter, Poppy (India Fowler). Plus, Sami arrives in London.

Debuting on Nov. 29 with the first three of 10 episodes, it’s remake of the French series “Le Bureau des Legendes” (“The Bureau”) that’s been adapted by brothers Jez & John-Henry Butterworth and produced by George Clooney & Grant Heslov.

Inexplicably underwritten and slow-paced, it’s punctuated with predictably chaotic car chases in and out of a shadowy garage, tires skidding…..

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Agency” is a clichéd, stagnant, frustrating 4, streaming on Paramount/Showtime

Susan Granger’s review of “Maria” (Netflix)

 

Prediction: Angelina Jolie will be nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award for her luminous, imperious performance in “Maria.” Back in 2000, she won as Best Supporting Actress for “Girl, Interrupted,” so it’s been more than two decades between trips to the Oscar podium.

Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larrain’s visually sumptuous fantasy about formidable Maria Callas begins in September, 1977, with a poignant death scene in her luxurious apartment in Paris, punctuated by her singing “Ave Maria (Desdemona)” from Verdi’s “Otello.”

Larrain insists that – after spending seven months in arduous vocal training – Jolie’s dubbed voice is blended with the opera diva’s, particularly during the scenes that take place at the end of Callas’ life when her soprano range was weaker.

Basking in adulation from her adoring fans and addicted to a powerful sedative marketed as Mandrax, then-53 year-old Callas tells her faithful housekeeper (Alba Rohrwacher) and butler (Pierfrancesco Favino): “As of this morning, what is real and what is not real is my business.”

So don’t expect meticulously researched details of a traditional biography. Instead, there are fragmentary flashbacks: Born in New York to Greek parents, Maria as a poor, fat teenager in Athens…Glorious ovations at La Scala…Her nomadic nine-year affair with predatory Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis (Haluk Bilginer), who paraded her like a trophy yet abruptly left her to marry widowed Jacqueline Kennedy.

“Perhaps we can speak a little about your life away from the stage,” an intrepid TV interviewer (Kodi Smit-McPhee) intones. “There is no life away from the stage,” Callas replies with tremulous vulnerability. “The stage is in my mind.”

Pablo Larrain is perhaps best known for his trilogy of one-word famous-women film titles: “Jackie,” “Spencer” and “Maria,” speculating on the enigmatic inner lives of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (played by Natalie Portman), Princess of Wales Diana Spencer (played by Kristen Stewart) and now Maria Callas.

If you’re intrigued, I highly recommend reading Sophia Lambton’s “The Callas Imprint: A Centennial Biography” (2023), which informed my evaluation of this film.

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “Maria” is an exaggerated yet elusive, elegiac 8, streaming on Netflix, starting on Wed., December 11.