Little Women

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From the book of the same name by Louisa May Alcott.

The lives of four girls growing up during the Civil War.

I wasn’t a girly girl at all…I didn’t read Judy Blume or Nancy Drew or ANY book called Little Women. I did, however, read Little Men and Jo’s Boys and loved them, as well as a lot of other Alcott books. I didn’t actually read this book til I was in college. And I LOVED it, and read it several times.

I may have seen one of the earlier movie adaptations of this story, but (maybe happily) don’t remember either of them. A friend has told me that the Hepburn version BAD, Allyson GOOD. Maybe sometime I’ll watch them and let you know.

Mr. Otter and I went to see this, he never having read the book and me being very familiar with it, and we both loved it.

Firstly, it’s beautiful. The cinematography is lovely, and evocative, and a joy to the eye. Color, movement, flow, all wonderful.

The actors are all excellent, and it was nice to see Laura Dern playing Marmee with a bit of spunk. Mr. Otter’s Golden Love Object, Meryl Streep, plays Aunt March. And the rest of the cast was very well chosen, including Saoirse Ronan as Jo.

The manners are a little too modern; everyone is too open, too easy with each other, too informal. There is a scene where Jo (living on her own and trying to get published) is dancing in a pub or bar with a group of men. Nothing salacious, and today we’d think nothing of if, but it WAS NOT DONE then. Just things like that were noticeable…but make it a little more relatable to modern audiences.

Overall, this was a fine movie, and we both enjoyed it immensely.

 

 

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

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The lives of two outlaws and the woman who loves one of them.

It was the New Year’s Day Videofest, chez Otter, and this year’s theme was Best Cinematography Oscar Winners. We had picked eight movies, drawn the names of four randomly, and watched them, with nine people coming in and out at different times…but by 9 pm, everyone else had gone. And as is often our wont, Mr. Otter and I were not ready to call it quits. So we watched this one as well.

I loved this movie when I was a young Otter, although I don’t think I ever saw it in a theater…I do remember watching it on TV every time the Television Scheduling Gods decided to show it (because, kids, in those days nobody had control over what was shown or when; you had a paper television schedule and you’d check it to see what was available for your viewing pleasure. The old days SUCKED.) and in fact, it was a family favorite.

But I had not seen this movie in at least 20 years if not more…and it was time to revisit my old friends.

And…it held up pretty well, for a movie where I could have quoted most of the dialogue along with the actors. I really like director George Roy Hill’s work (The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean was another family favorite), William Goldman was a stellar writer, and I have and always will have a HUGE crush on Paul Newman. Robert Redford, not so much, but Newman was tops in the Otter Book of Actors to Crush On.

This is one of the revisionist Westerns that started being made in the 60s and 70s, where the outlaws are the sympathetic characters and full of charm, whatever their flaws…and (except for that damn song in the middle) this is well written, with good plotting and character development, a lot of amusement but also serious moments.

I’m glad to say that this is still a winner. Come on over and we’ll watch it sometime and put pillows over our heads and scream during that awful song.

Romeo + Juliet

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From the play by William Shakespeare

This resetting of

Leonardo DiCaprio (looking about twelve) and Claire Danes play the title roles in what is arguably one of the most famous plays in the world, and Baz Luhrmann’s setting of it is nothing but a delight.

Mr. Otter and I like Shakespeare, he more than I. This is not one of my favorite plays; I lean more toward the histories, and this one just makes me roll my eyes. If everyone would just TALK TO EACH OTHER, I say to him, it would all turn out fine.

But the Perfect Housesitters love this movie, and when we took them to dinner to thank them for Housesitting Perfectly, we were talking about this and that and they were amazed that we had never seen this movie. So we said, let’s pick a date, you bring it over, we’ll order pizza. And the plan was made.

And as soon as this movie started, we LOVED it. We loved Strictly Ballroom and Moulin Rouge, and had no idea that Baz Luhrmann had done this as well…we kind of wrote him off after the train wreck that was Australia (as did many people, judging from his IMDB page…)

Anyway. The setting is Venice Beach, the two families are rival gangs, everyone is dressed to the nines, and the visuals are amazing- cars, guns, bright colors, beaches, and it ALL WORKS. This is one of the best versions of R&J I’ve ever seen, and certainly the most fun to watch.

Which is what you should do if, like us, you haven’t seen it yet. Trust the Otter, you’re in for a treat!

A Quiet Place

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A family lives alone on a farm, trying to keep themselves safe from predators.

I missed three movies this summer while I was traveling, and recently checked them all out of my local library to watch. I gave Mr. Otter first choice, and he picked this one.

And we were both really pleased with it, and because it was so well made and suspenseful, I’m just going to say that it was well made and suspenseful. The writing was spare and excellent, the actors were really really good, and the situation was believeable without being overexplained.

This was great, you should see it. But not alone, it might scare you too much.

Deadpool 2

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The Merc with a Mouth is back, and just as rude and violent as ever.

I can’t talk a lot about the plot of this one without giving out a HUGE SPOILER…and for once, I hesitate to do so, more fun to see it played out.

I will say that Deadpool is great and funny and totally not PC. His enemy in this one is Cable, a warrior from the future, played by Josh Brolin (who now has a huge part in both the Marvel and DC universes, so go Josh!). Yes, his ‘buddies’ from the X-Men mansion are back as well, and they’re great.

And…I can’t say a whole lot more. But go see this one, if you liked the first you won’t be disappointed. Trust the Otter. (In fact, trust both of them…Mr. Otter was surprised to find that he liked this one too.)

Avengers: Infinity War

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Everything in the Marvel universe just goes to hell in the worst possible ways.

So…the 18th movie in the Marvel franchise, plus who knows how many tv shows, ‘one-shot’ shorts, and related stuff. In just 10 years, if you start counting from Iron Man In 2008. Here’s a list. The hype over this has been incredible, and if you missed it, you have been living in the outback with the dingoes, seriously. Even Mr. Otter, who dislikes all things Marvel, knows that this exists. (Probably because I can’t stop talking about it…)

In fact, four days after this movie came out, Mr. Otter was being prepped for (NOT SCARY OR LIFE THREATENING let me point out) surgery, and I asked his doctor how long it would take. About 2 1/2 hours, he said. Just enough time for me to see a movie! I chirped, and when the surgeon asked which one, we both geeked out about it for about 5 minutes. Then I kissed Mr. Otter, ran off to meet Ottersis at the theater, and had a wonderful time, totally ignoring my phone’s vibrations during the movie as the nurses tried to tell me that Mr. Otter was fine and was I going to come back and visit him anytime? In my own defense, I DID walk out on the credits and the amazing teaser trailer at the end and went to see him, so I get some spouse points there…

Anyway. Wow. There is so much in this movie, so many different plot lines and personalities pulled together to make up this megablockbuster of a movie- I knew (from the several trailers that hit the Interwebs) that literally everyone that had ever had a Marvel movie about them would be in this, and the thing I was worried about was that it would just be a big ol’ scrimmage with lots of fighting but no plot development…but no.

Sure, there was A TON of action, fighting and general mayhem, but the characters were good and the movie mostly did them justice. The plotting was tight and the writing was great, and nobody did anything that made me go, Huh?

I am hoping that, like the three first Lord of the Ring movies, a 4 hour Director’s Cut will be released on DVD; there was obviously more story here than they could cram into a movie in the theater, and cuts had to be made…but I want it ALL.

And the ending was…I’ll just say amazing. And unexpected, at least to me. And that is all I can say about this movie without ruining it for anyone who hasn’t seen it yet…and if not, WHAT IN THE HELLS ARE YOU WAITING FOR? Go! Go NOW!

 

Black Panther

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A superhero fights the bad guy to save his country.

Seriously, that’s the basic plot…sounds pretty dull, doesn’t it?

But unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last year, you know how much more there is to this movie-not only an excellent addition (#18, I think) to the Marvel universe of movies, but the first big-budget high-profile superhero movie about a Black superhero and country.

The hype was astronomical, but the trailers looked damn good. Even Mr. Otter wanted to see this, so on a Monday holiday a few days after it opened, we sauntered down to our local Emporium des Movies at 9:30am, thinking we’d walk right into the 9:45 show.

Were we ever wrong. Not only that show, but the WHOLE DAY, was already sold out. So being retired, and Mr. Otter having Tuesdays off right now, we bought a ticket for the NEXT day, getting excellent seats, and went home and watched the second season of Preacher instead. And loved it.

But I digress.

So on Tuesday, there we were, Mr. Otter with his chai and me with ice cream, and the movie…was amazing. Beautifully filmed, gorgeous sets, costumes and special effects, good acting, good writing…pretty much what I expect from most Marvel movies, although this was better than most.

T’Challa (the eponymous Black Panther) has recently inherited both the name/powers of this superhero, and the rule of the kingdom of Wakanda, from his father. Wakanda (which is somewhere in central Africa) is a super-technologically advanced country that also is sitting on the world’s supply of Vibranium, which is not only the hardest metal in the world (Captain America’s shield is made of it) but also incredibly valuable. This is one of the plot lines, since nobody else in the world (except for a select few) knows that Wakanda is anything but a backwater third-world country. The other is the contention between T’Challa and someone from his past, Erik Killmonger (The Bad Guy), and all kinds of issues about freedom and responsibility are raised. This was so well done that there is a big faction who object to how the movie played out and are on Killmonger’s side. That’s some seriously good writing, folks.

But the best thing was having a movie written by and starring Black actors that was so intelligent, had such great characters (especially the three women) and a really well-thought-out plot. (With no major plot holes that I could see…and that’s really rare for a superhero movie, even a good one.) What a game-changer. At least I hope it will be, and from now on superhero movies will have a whole lot more variety and inclusiveness.

Here is a great article by an African-American writer that talks about some of the racial issues and attitudes that were part of the impact of, and discussion sparked by, this movie, including the number of people who were rooting for the ‘bad guy’. This article has SPOILERS, which I am trying really hard to avoid in this review.

Basically, this movie was very, very good; run, don’t walk, to the theater and see it.

The Phantom Thread

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A high-end fashion designer in 1950s London meets a girl, and things proceed from there…

I am not one to go to a movie based on an actor that happens to be in said movie. That’s something Mr. Otter often does, but I am plot-driven; I am happy when an actor I like is in a movie I want to see, but I have to be interested in the story, or I don’t bother to see it.

Except in the case of Daniel Day-Lewis. I would go see him read a laundry list, and be happy to pay my (whatever ungodly amount they’re charging for movies now) for it.

He is a Serious Honey. What’s more, he is, in my opinion, one of the very best, if not THE best, actor on the Big Screen right now…and I have heard rumors that he’s retiring after this movie. More power to him for having a life, but damn I’m going to miss him.

Even in a slow, strange, beautiful movie like this, he is riveting.

And it was slow. And beautiful. And very character-driven. And not much happened, although the end made us both sit up and say, What?…but it worked. I don’t know if I’d go see it again unless I was in desperate need for eye-candy, but it was good.

And aside from also saying that if you are interested in fashion or costume design, you will have even more reason to enjoy this movie, I will say no more. Discover it on your own, like it or hate it, Day-Lewis is definitely worth watching. As are many of the cast, but who sees them when he’s on the screen?

Thank you, Daniel. But I certainly hope I’m wrong and this is not your last movie.

The Greatest Showman

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A musical about P. T. Barnum’s life.

I had seen posters for this, but didn’t know what it was about. Then I was talking to C-Dub, who said, Awesome musical with Hugh Jackman, loved it!

Hmmm, I thought, high praise indeed if C-Dub was so pleased with it…and I put it on my mental list of That Which Should Be Watched. Which, of course, is an IMMENSELY long list, off of which many things fall without my noticing, my mental being what it is.

Then, wonder of wonders, I suddenly had a free day in my schedule, and decided to spend most of it at my local ‘plex, and see three movies. Of which this was the third.

And I am happy to say that once again, C-Dub was right. This was an awesome movie.

Firstly, Hugh Jackman in a good musical.

Secondly, colors and lights and songs and dances. The songs were modern pop-style songs, but not bad, certainly fun to listen to even if I didn’t leave the theater remembering any of the tunes. The costumes are what you’d expect of a musical about the beginnings of the circus, and were great.

Now, there’s a lot of furor on the interwebs because in the movie Barnum is portrayed as basically a nice guy with a vision, maybe a wheeler-dealer, but a decent guy. In real life, Barnum was a slaveowner and pretty much did anything he could to make money, including funding minstrel shows and the like. Not really a nice man.

But you know what? this is a MOVIE. It’s not real life, nor is it presented as the truth about Barnum; in fact, it plays fast and loose with both the timeline and events of Barnum’s life. It’s a MUSICAL, guys, and NOBODY expects musicals to be historically accurate.

But thirdly, and most importantly, this version of Barnum is not only an appealing person, he is a friend to, and his show is a haven for, people who are outcasts and who are looked down on because they’re different- the circus performers and attractions. They bond and become confidant and strong together, and that is a very happy message, both in this movie and in life as it is today.

This was really fun to watch, and I left the theater smiling. You will too.

 

The Brothers Karamazov

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From the novel of the same name by Dostoyevsky.

Ivan is in love with Katya is in love with Dmitri is in love with Grushenka who is sleeping with the brothers’ father Fyodor while brother Alexi the priest tries to make peace and everyone despises Smerdyakov, Fyodor’s smarmy illegitimate son.

No kidding. I thought it was going to be yet another Russian political the-government-is-evil-let’s-have-a-revolution kind of thing…but no. It’s a big ol’ thundering family drama, full of anger, tears, forgiveness and lots of people ending up unhappy (because Russian).

Ottersis, Mr. Otter and I wanted to see this…not only is it the last movie we had chosen and not seenfor the New Year’s Day Moviefest 2018 (theme: Hollywood’s take on other countries) but also Ottersis and I are in complete agreement on the hotness of Yul Brynner, which is awesome. In fact, I am now promoting him to Serious Honey. You’re welcome, Yul.

So this takes place in the 1870s in Russia, and everyone is fighting over money and sex, and it’s actually really good. Although it clocks in at 2 1/2 hours, it moves really well, and what developed in the last half hour surpised me, if not everyone (Mr. Otter says he read the book but doesn’t remember it that well.)

And the cast list is a 50s roll call of good actors: Brynner, Lee J Cobb, Harry Towne, Claire Bloom, Richard Basehart, and (we were all surprised to see) William Shatner playing the priest brother. And he was actually good, and SO young!

But the best was Serious Honey Maria Schell, sister of Maximilian Schell, as Gruschenka. She was so good when she was onscreen you couldn’t look away from her- beautiful, a good actress, a worthy foil to Yul and his high horse, which he kept getting on…she was just amazing. I looked at the list of her credits, and as I thought, I’ve never seen her in anything except (and I didn’t remember this) a forgettable part in the first Superman movie from 1978.

Anyway. This was really worth watching- lots of drama, tension, pretty good writing and good plotting. Guess I’m going to have to read the book now…