LITTLE WOMEN Wins Big-All Star Cast-Modern Takes

Louisa May Alcott may very well be rolling in her grave with joy at Greta Gerwig's brilliant adaptation of her literary legacy "Little Women."  Gerwig received an Acad. Award nom. for directing and writing Lady Bird ('18) a contemporary coming of age story.  Taking on Alcott's "Little Women", Gerwig takes artistic license with the Alcott's coming of age story ensconced in the Civil War era. This modern appropriation skirts around the Civil War but promenades staunchly on the social constraints of the epoch when women were subjugated to marriage & motherhood.  The March household is comprised of women. The matriarch played by the incomparable Laura Dern, is left to manage the household with 4 daughters while her husband is enlisted as a chaplain for the Union army.  Our heroine, the fiercely independent Jo, a novelist played by Saoirse Ronan, a shoe-in for an Oscar nom.  Gerwig assembled Ronan along with Timothee Chalamet as Laurie and Tracy Letts as the chauvinistic publisher whom she directed in "Lady Bird."  Jo is not the sole sister to shine in her role.  Older sister Meg (Emma Watson), and younger sisters Amy (Florence Pugh) & Beth (Eliza Scanlen) are all magnificent, multi-dimensional & formidable characters.  Chris Cooper plays their gracious, benefactor and Meryl Streep the wealthy, crochety aunt who tries to impress on her wards marriage is strictly an economic proposition and crucial her nieces marry into money.  The film is structured by Joe's flashbacks to her enchanting childhood while dealing as a formidable writer/businesswoman when selling her novel (not the copyrights) for publication.  Jo's charmed reminiscients in a household with 3 sisters is filled with omniscient sisterhood joys and squabbles. "Little Women" is richly endowed with passions, remorse and acts of human kindness that bring this heartfelt film to life.  The March sisters' desires, jealousies, rivalries and mischievous behaviors are all illuminated with zealous & wanton abandon that it's impossible not to feel ingratiated with each character and imbedded into their bonds with one another.  The modern day twists to Alcott's story offers a conspiratorial wink to convention of the novel's era with a lighthearted take on today's romantic comedies.  The sumptuous cinematography glows in warm candlelight, horse drawn carriages and debutante balls.  Gerwig's film is a lively and smart protestation that women were merely  ornaments of society but possessed power over who they chose to love and to pursue that which they loved.  "Life is too short to be angry with your sisters" say Mrs. March.  One of the clever, artistic tidbits that imbue "Little Women" to win your hearts and Oscar votes.

German Film "A Hidden Life" Resisting Hitler's Rise

How did Hitler rise to power?  A multi-complex answer but basically - because people allowed it.  Amer. filmmaker/screenwriter Terrence Malik's latest film "A Hidden Life" is a biopic on the life & execution of Franz Jagerstatter, an Austrian farmer, husband & father whose courageous convictions to oppose Hitler's evils ending up costing him his life.  Never heard of Jagerstatter?  Most people never have and because the Nazis imprisoned, executed and covered up those who stood up to Hitler. Malik (b Amer. 1943) has received 3 Oscar noms. for directing/screening.  "A Hidden Life" which is set in Austria in the 1940s is in heavily accented English with German spoken by Nazis or Nazi sympathizers. oftentimes in silence despite the obviously vitriolic hatred being spouted.  The film has received multiple nominations from this year's Cannes' Film Festival & the Palm d'Or Award.  The laconic & lugubrious 2 1/2 film is measured in its stark cinematographic beauty of the Austrian countryside and heinous fascism of Nazi Germany.  The film doesn't belabor the horrors or brutalities of war.  In fact, it luxuriates in the arduous but idyllic life of a farm couple.  Franz (August Diehl b. Germany 1976) and his wife Fani (Valerie Pachner b. Austria 1986) are a loving & devoted couple with 3 young daughters.  Their love story is very much a part of this story as its powerful message of Fran's conscientious objections amidst the melee of madness that exacts the ultimate self-sacrifice & knowing hardship & ostracism to his wife & family.  Malik's deliberately measured film captures Franz's deliberate disobedience to his church, country and solidifying conclusion that he must obey what he believes to be morally correct.  Franz is given multiple opportunities to recant & pledge allegiance to Hitler's regime to save his life but balks & remains stalwart.  First, Franz speaks with his parish priest who counsels obeyance of conscription orders & this is also what is asked by God.  Franz tells the father "God has nothing to do with this."  Franz & his wife pose a humbleness in their stance and in their steadfast acceptance of each other's love.  The Catholic Church which supported Hitler's regime declared Jagerstatter a martyr in 2007; a shameless exoneration for their evil stance during WWII.  This is a film of great beauty and the profundity for reconciling one's knowledge or morality as omnipotent despite one's impact or lack thereof.  Numerous Nazi officials brutally beat him, repeatedly threaten execution (by guillotine) for treason and all for his futile obdurance.  Franz forlornly observes "The sun still shines down on the good and the evil alike."  Malik's masterpiece poses the impossible scenario of standing up against unsurmountable impediments and considers what would be possible should courageous individuals condemn rather than condone or align with what they know is anathema.

Melinda's Top Ten Movie Picks for 2019

The following are my top ten picks for flicks from 2019.  The list will include movies on the big screen as well as on-line:

1.   A BEAUTIFUL DAY in the NEIGHBORHOOD starring Tom Hanks

2.   ARTIC - Brazilian Director Joe Denna based on a true story

3.   FLEABAG - Nat'l Theater Live Broadcast written/starring Phoebe Waller-Bridge

4.  FOSTER - HBO doc. on the Foster system in Los Angeles

5.   IF BEAL STREET COULD SPEAK - based on Jame Baldwin's novel

6.   TONI MORRISON Doc. The PIECES I AM

7.   ROCK and a HARD PLACE - HBO Doc. produced by Dwayne Johnson

8.   The PEANUT BUTTER FALCON - starring Shia LeBeouf

9.   LINDSE VON:  The FINAL SEASON - HBO Doc.

10. THEY SHALL not GROW OLD - WWI Doc. Re-enhanced Footage

Melinda's Top Ten Cultural Picks for 2019

The following picks are my top 10 cultural picks from 2019 in alphabetical order.  Exceptional theater dominates this year's list:

1.   Alvin Ailey premier of Jamar Robert's ODE

2.   Jean-Michel Basquiat Exhibit at the Brandt Fdtn.

3.   INK on Broadway by James Graham

4.   Bob James, David Sanborn & Marcus Miller Concert:  Double Vision @ Sonoma State

5.   Diana Krall Concert @ Sonoma State

6.   SOCRATES at the Public Theater starring Michael Stuhlberg

7.   The HEIGHT of the STORM on Broadway starring Jonathan Pryce & Eileen Atkins

8.   The SOUND INSIDE on Broadway starring Mary Louise Parker

9.   To KILL a MOCKING BIRD on Broadway starring Ed Harris

10. WHAT the CONSTITUTION MEANS to ME written by & starring Heidi Shreck

Korean Film PARASITE - Directed by Bong Joon-Ho

The title of Korean director Bong Joon-Ho "Parasite" refers to the financially destitute Park family who prey as leeches, mercilessly upon the wealthy Kin family.  The Kin's beautiful matriarch is easily manipulated by the the Park clan.  Parks' members manage to get their grubby, grifter carcasses into the Kin home where they roam freely with no remorse.  The Parks sucker the Kins and suck the life & money out of this wealthy, upper class family.  There's little sympathy for the plodding, déclassé Parks living in unemployed squalor.  The Park's family down on their luck get a fortunate break thanks to a former classmate of the son.  The friend refers him as a temporary tutor in his stead for the Kin family's daughter.  The son ingratiates himself to the lovely but naive mother.  The Park's daughter soon finds herself tutoring the young Kin's son through clandestine conniving.  Soon, the parents' plans to be employed by the Kins illicitly wins them all job while throwing the former household staff to the curb.  The Park's maintain the pretense that they do not know one another. Spoiler alert: I didn't stay til the end of this grueling movie.  I anticipated the Parks receiving their  comeuppance for being ruthless con-artists.   Dir/screenwriter/producer Joon-Ho (b. Korea 1969) is a highly regarded filmmaker.  "Parasite" earned this year's Cannes Film Festival Award.  Here's where the movie "crossed the line" for me.  As Mr. Kim says to Mr. Park, his new chauffeur, "Never cross the line."   The Kin family is too pathetic and the Park family too pernicious.  Both families are all distractingly good-looking; particularly the 4 young people.  This is a petty complaint that the people are all too pretty.  The point being I never crossed over into favorably accepting the premise.  Neither did I enjoy the slow & sinister story-telling.  Perhaps, I missed being bitten by the bug that seems to have gotten under critics' skin.  "Parasite"  just never felt right to me.

GIVE ME LIBERTY a Gem with an Independent Lens

"Give Me Liberty" is an independent, art film that slides frenetically & unexpectedly into a deeply penetrating and quixotic magical mystery tour.  Dir., screenwriter & producer Kirill Mikhanovsky's cinematic feature film feels raw, real and Felliniesque.  Kirill draws from his own life as a US immigrant from Russia at 18 who finds work driving a van for the handicapped.  Vic (a wistful & endearing Chris Galust) is the central driving force of this unusual cast of individuals rarely featured on screen.  The motley mix of ethnographic & debilitated individuals offers a piercing look into humanity from a kaleidoscope of colors, cultures and abilities and meshes into a pastiche of stark reality and peculiar sequences.  Music is crucial to the fluidity of the film encompassing a panoply of ethnic, religious, classical & contemporary modes. Vic's transports people with physical & mental limitations to their destinations of work, rehabilitation & recreation.  He's prevailed upon to take a group of elderly Russians to their friend's funeral while enroute on the job.  The elderly Russian immigrants admire American's allotted freedoms and reminisce how in the old country Russians, Ukraines, Jews all managed to get along.  They also tell Vic to hurry out of the bad {black} neighborhoods.  Vic manuvers his van at warp speed, negotiating obstacles & areas blocked off by protests.  Vic's unflappable, frenzied driving leaves him constantly late tho he assures his boss & riders they'll get there in just 10 more minutes. This remarkable journey is bookended by Vic's visits with Nate (Ben Derfel) an elderly quadriplegic who spouts philosophical lessons in an unhurried fashion. Vic dotingly listens while taking Nate's fag in & out of his lips.  Nate's elegiac messaging speaks to the beauty of life, the wonders of love and the necessity of holding fast to love. Compressed between these tranquil respites is a whirlwind of ruckus, protests, and earnest emotions bringing people together in melodious harmony and incorrigible encounters.   Dima (Maxim Stolanov) is a Russian, pugilist grifter whose shenanigans pack a major punch.  Tracy (Lauren Spencer) plays a wheel chair bound social worker for the disabled.  Her earnest frustrations & heartbreak feel crippling.  These are only 2 of the many eccentric people Vic encounters in the 24 endlessly compelling hours while anxiously awaiting the fat lady to sing.  Wyatt Garfield's stunning cinematography and overall authenticity make GIVE ME LIBERTY an art film which should be given numerous honors in addition to the Independent Spirit Award.  Keep your eyes out for future features by Mikhanovsky and roles played by Chris Galust (a Leo DiCaprio doppelgänger) and a luminescent & unforgettable Lauren Spencer.

MARRIAGE STORY - 6 Golden Globe Nominations

"Marriage Story" just received 6 Golden Globe nominations including Best Drama is the best release now on NETFLIX.   Directed & written by Noah Baumbach, the Nat'l Board of Review & the Amer. Film Inst. named "Marriage Story" 1 of the 10 best films of 2019.  The plot is a pastiche of a modern day "Kramer v. Kramer" and "An Unmarried Woman."  It has lots going for it including two very charismatic and convincing performances by Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson as a married couple; Charlie & Nicole.  They find their marriage unfolding tho still holding onto each other and their beloved son Henry (an exceptional Azhy Robertson).  The film starts with voice overs from Charlie & Nicole extolling the virtues they admire in each other.   The film is also a Woody Allen homage and debate to whether LA or NYC is first rate.  Charlie is a director of a fledgling theater troupe.  Nicole is his muse & lead actress.  The couple are seated within a sterile counseling room where the mediator asks them to read aloud what they admire in one another.  Nicole decides this is bullshit and stomps out despite the advice to state what drew them together before love turned to hate.  Their idyllic existence unravels with Nicole's accepting a lucrative offer to star in a TV series in LA.   Born & raised in LA where her mother & her sister's family live, Nicole is happy to return with Henry in tow.   Nicole loves her family and Nicole's family loves both Nicole & Charlie.  But, things fall apart before too long.  Divorce attys. & frenemies Nora (the incomparable Laura Dern) and Bert (a wise guy Ray Liotta) are guilty of stealing scenes.  The precipice of the marriage's final fissure begins in a benign, well intentioned discourse between Charlie & Nicole without attys. present.  Their sentiments go from 0 to 90 in seconds in a whiplash of pain & blame that is excruciating.  Charlie says to Nicole "You were happy, until you weren't".  The mounting costs of divorce which fuel an acrimonious split is astounding as is this heartfelt dissolution to what had been a loving & devoted family.  We want them to work it and for them to think of what they're saying.  "You can get it wrong and still think that it's alright." (Beatles)  "Marriage Story" is far better than just alright.  Don't miss it!

Aszure Barton's "Busk" Performed by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

Choreographer Aszure Barton (b Canada) mystifying and startling work "Busk" had its Ailey premiere on Friday at the company's home in City Center.  "Busk" first premiered in ('09) is now being interpreted by the amazing Ailey dancers.  The Ailey Dance Theater is a superb pick for adapting "Busk" with the aid of the company's virtuoso versatility.  Busk is defined as street performance or improvisation.  The ominous dark staging and monochromatic black costumes of flowing, black monkish robes provide an eerie ambiance.  The dance begins with a solo dancer and a top hat turned upside down as if asking for donations.  The dancer performance is partly mime, partly spontaneous dance with overtly mendicant supplications.  The entertaining dancer is engaging and simultaneously reminiscent of street performers oftentimes intentionally ignored.  "Busk" is not to be ignored or pegged into any one style.  All dancers in their identical hooded, black robes make ghoulish faces & humorous formations.  The solos are rakish and stupefying, bordering on risqué and  risk taking.  A male soloist sheds his top and cavorts atop a multi-stepped prop.  A statuesque,  unmoving, unmasked figure remains situated on the steps.  The dancer takes a suspended leap from the top step softly landing in an acrobatic tumble on stage.  (A daring move that looks more like a Cirque de Soleil antic).  A female soloist also bares her top dancing with a minimalistic black sports bra.  She dances with equal bravado and muscularity.  The score varies from liturgical music to a contemporary mixed bag which seamlessly sorts itself out with ease.  Religious supplication, macabre humor and social contemporary on hooded victims of shootings splay in and out without making an overriding commitment to any major reference albeit an unpredictability and spontaneity.  Barton's "Busk" is a powerful and provocative work intended to be taken seriously with a large stipend of mirth.  The audience's rousing standing ovation is an indication that "Busk" is besotted with artistry and whimsy.  "Busk" is surprisingly fluid and swift and leaves you begging for more.  BRAVO!

To KILL a MOCKINGBIRD on B'wy with Ed Harris

Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize winning novel "To Kill a Mocking Bird" (1960) is an iconic literary work of American fiction.  The book was made into an Acad. Award winning film and is now a Broadway play.  It's a major undertaking transforming Lee's work to the stage while conveying its social impact without preaching or convoluting the integrity of the novel.  American playwright Aaron Sorkin captures Lee's multi-layered racial & social commentary alongside the coming of age stories of Scout (Nina Grollman) & her brother Jem (Nick Robinson) growing up in AL in 1934.  Sorkin was snubbed for his adaption by the Tonys.  Sorkin has received Oscar, Emmy, Golden Globe, and Writer Guild awards and nominations for his expansive work in multiple mediums.  Somehow he was sorely overlooked for "Mockingbird."  Racism, mob mentality and lynchings portrayed in the novel are painfully enacted on stage.  Atticus (Ed Harris), Calpurnia (Lisagay Hamilton) and the falsely accused Tom Robinson (Kyle Scatliffe) play their courageous and sympathetic roles brilliantly.  Calpurnia's candid repartee with Atticus cuts through the permeated myth that racism is something found only in caricatures of the most contemptible white people in the deep south in decades past.  Atticus tells Scout "for the poor, white uneducated affronted by the Civil War 70 years prior, it feels but like yesterday."  Of course, this resonates with the pernicious, systemic  racial hatred that plagues our nation today.  We must acknowledge our painful history, and confront heinous events distilled such as the Greenwood Massacre in 1921, the 5,000 lynching from 1882-1986, the indelible image of Emmett Till in his casket and marchers attacked during the civil rights era and confront our present malaise of mass incarceration & inhumane & unjust sentencing of men & youth mainly of color.  Bryan Stevenson's auto-biography "Just Mercy" depicts the framing of black men put on death row that persists.  Moreover, the killings of unarmed black men whose heinous murders by whites who are not held responsible.  This is to say "To Kill a Mockingbird" is still relevant and should resonate with audiences.  It must be noted the subtler lessons of compassion & empathy which are as important, if not more powerful.  Scout & Jem's epiphanies of damaging, flawed pre-judging of & the need for empathy "inside someone's skin" are omnipotent.

Alvin Ailey World Premier of Jamar Robert's ODE

The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is performing at their home here at City Center through Jan. 5th.  Last night's world premier ODE is the work of Ailey's First Resident Choreographer, Jamar Roberts.  Roberts is a beloved, long-time member of the dance company.  Artistic Director Robert Battle has encouraged Roberts to pursue his passion for choreography and wisely designated Roberts as Ailey's Resident Choreographer.  Jamar's first work for the company was "Member's Don't Get Weary" ('16).  Roberts was honored that year with the Bessie Award for exceptional achievement by independent dance artists.  ODE is set to the music of legendary jazz pianist Don Pullen.  Pullen's immense body of work & numerous styles including modern and free jazz make his music difficult to pigeon-hole.  In this piece, Pullen's sophisticated composition transitions fluidly from smooth to sharp syncopation.  Roberts virtuoso musicality embodies the unpredictability of Pullen's music with an ephemeral as well as percussive aesthetic.  The dance begins with a male dancer lying, motionless in front of a very colorful floral scenic design on a black background.  The uniform costuming by Roberts is stunning.  The dancers are bare chested with free-flowing golden trousers.  The prone dancer is joined by 5 other male dancers.  The dancers gracefully intertwine evoking a joyful imagery of Matisse's "Dancers".  One man falls and a 2nd attempts to raise him but he too succumbs to the ground.  The middle section projects frantic, startling images of victims of gun-fire. The 3rd section bookends the piece with a melancholy, gracefulness with the revelation of dancers paying homage to those who have died.  The backdrop now appears as floral funeral arrangements.  ODE is both elegiac and mournful.  It's inspiring and horrifying.  It's a powerful work for its artistry and for its ode to victims of gun violence.  "I think art has power.  I think it has power to bring things to light and have people see the world in ways that they may not have seen.  And dance does it without words.  And I think that that is one of the most beautiful things about this art form that we don't use our words, but everybody knows exactly what the feeling is."  (J Roberts)  There are alternating casts comprised of all male or all female dancers.  ODE is the good, the bad the ugly in mankind.  Still, it conveys the preciousness of life and inspires for the best in humanity.

JUST MERCY Michael B Jordan as Bryan Stevenson

JUST MERCY is the film focusing on true events in the early 90s concerning the legal battle to overturn the wrongly convicted Walter McMillian , a.k.a. Johnny D (Jamie Foxx, in an Oscar worthy performance) aided by atty. Bryan Stevenson (Michael B Jordan).  McMillian was framed for the murder of an 18 yr. old white women in AL and given a death sentence.  Stevenson, a Harvard law grad, having just passed the AL Bar, founded the Equal Justice Initiative, to  help pro bono, wrongly convicted people receive justice.  Stevenson's mission is met by outright enmity from law enforcement & the white community, police harassment, bomb threats and skepticism by the black men for whom he pledges legal support.  Initially, Stevenson's only ally was white female activist Eva Ansley (Brie Larson).  JUST MERCY is significantly more than a compelling biopic or courtroom drama.  It's a clarion cry for long over do justice in our society.  In one scene, Bryan & Ally overlook the serene harbor where Bryan notes this is where Africans were first dragged ashore to be sold into slavery.  The inhumanity of slavery in the US has morphed into racial oppression, mass incarceration and intentional abuse the legal system to suppress the poor and people of color.  The harsh reality of how abusive systemic racism is in our nation cannot be brushed aside.  But, it takes courage, morality, decency, compassion & commitment to amend the long overdue imbalance of justice and construct a humane society.  Dir. Destin Cretton has made a cogent and heartfelt film based on real people and actual events.  Sadly, these are actual events.  The film educates, inspires  motivates us to align for a world of mercy; a world of justice.  The film doesn't proselytize, rather it serves to inspire social reform.  What we say and do matters. Furthermore, truth will prevail despite the wheels of justice turning slowly.  Still, we are system of laws.  There are other important observations made.  Capital punishment has no place in civilized society and should be banned outright & immediately.  Herbert Richard (Rob Morgan) was executed during the time McMillian spent on death row. Morgan deserves an Oscar for depicting the barbarity of sanctioned execution. Neglect for the care of veterans is shameful.  Sentencing of our youths is cruel & far too punitive.  No one act should define a person's life.  Every life has value.  "The opposite of justice is not injustice it's poverty." (BS) "You ultimately judge the civility of society not by how it treats the rich, the powerful, the protected and the highly esteemed, but by how it treats the poor, the disfavored and the disadvantaged." (BS)

Alvin Ailey Performs GREENWOOD at City Center

Choreographer Donald Byrd's GREENWOOD is potent, historic storytelling though dance.  Greenwood was the segregated district in Tulsa, OK a.k.a "Black Wall Street".  It was one of the most affluent Black communities in the country at the time when a barbaric massacre occurred on May 30, 1921.  This slaughter has mainly been obliterated from our history books and our nation's knowledge.  The indelible image of the tortured & murdered young man Emmett Till in 1955 from his casket is one that cannot, nor should it be forgotten.  Our nation has & continues to inflict a hateful war on its own people solely based on bigotry.  The horrors of Greenwood have all but been forgotten though they mirror the heinous murder of Emmett Till.  The upcoming centennial of the Greenwood melee has reignited attention to a white mob attacking the black community killing at least 300 black people & destroying the homes & business of more than 10,000 blacks.  Byrd's balletic interpretation of these events are both horrifying, remarkable & unforgettable.  Omnipresent on stage, entered by passing through a hazy, smoked filled aperture, is a female dancer garbed in tribal dress.  She performs a poignant African dance that personifies grace and strength.  It's through her ubiquitous & incredulous eyes we see into the future to 1921 as a witness to the terrifying events in Greenwood.  Byrd uses 2 couples in 1920s dress in an ephemeral pas de deux that is jolting in juxtaposition with futuristic, faceless militia that mercilessly raze the defenseless couples.  The catalysis for this mob lynching is depicted on stage by a white female dancer replete with white gloves opens and closes an invisible, but audible elevator door.  When a black man enters the elevator she screams.  Mayhem ensures whereupon a mass of henchmen in their uni-glow army dress and oversized heads resembling gas masks.  The intensive imagery of blacks being mowed down by these "green" monsters is utterly disturbing and makes it impossible to look away unscathed.  The ghostly presence of the African tribeswoman does her utmost to serve as a shield but in vain.  She manages to lift one of the women killed onto her back & carries her back through the crimson portal.  Byrd's brilliant choreography, haunting costuming by Doris Black and exceptional dancing by the company create a monumental work of artistry and historic legacy.  

LINDSEY VON: The Final Season - A Ton of Reasons to See this HBO Doc.

The Lindsey Von doc. on HBO is the ultimate, in-depth biopic that uncovers the highs, the lows and the beauty of the indefatigable  human spirit.  For those who think of Lindsey as the beautiful bombshell Olympian formerly on the arm of Tiger, this intimate, in-depth look at Lindsey's life, you've not glimpsed the forest through the woods.  This doc. captures the gold for candidly illuminating the physical & emotional demands and grueling tolls unseen by most people.  The inherent drive to becoming the greatest professional competitor in a sport that provides the ultimate adrenaline rush is not something that can be taught.  However, this majestic & courageous coverage of Lindsey comes as close as possible to empathizing & appreciating the woman behind the stunning good looks and winning smile.  There's plenty not to smile about for an athlete of Lindsey's caliber beyond calibrating the risk factors and physical injuries.  We empathize with Lindsey's self-sacrifices and the burden of acknowledging the sacrifices required of her family & support team. Lindsey is seen as a fully bared human being with a steadfast will to win who loves her sport with an insurmountable passion that's infectious.  Her entire life feels revealed; her childhood, young marriage, longtime break from her dad, loneliness on the road, numerous tears to the body and unabashed tears from her sparkling eyes.  The most potent take away from illuminating doc. is the inevitable end to an all consuming pursuit and a humble acceptance for an unfulfilled lifetime goal. Lindsey is a robust paradigm of grace & commitment.  "My body is broken beyond repair and it isn't letting me have the final season I dreamt of.  My body is screaming at me to stop and it's time for me to listen." (Nov '18)  '"The Final Season" crosses the finish line with a nascent transition into a glimmering future.          

KNIVES - Not all It's Cut out for - An Agatha Christie Clever Plot It Doesn't Got

KNIVES is a whodunnit with some bankable stars directed by Rian Johnson ("Star Wars: The Last Jedi").  It's not got a whole lot of intrigue to conspire to create a clever murder mystery plot. As Detective Blanc (Daniel Craig) says "It's a donut hole within a hole of a donut."  It's elementary, KNIVES does not a hold a whole lot sense.  The ensemble cast can't cover-up the missing pieces of suspense, ominous foreboding or amusing family dysfunction.  The Thrombey family assembles to celebrate its patriarch Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) on the evening of his 85th birthday.  The family gathers around the hearth in a house straight out of an Agatha Christie novel with howling hounds on the grounds.  Earlier in the day, Harlan was getting his house in order with his ne'er-do-well progenies.  The motley mix of family members include son Walt (Michael Shannon), daughter-in-law Joni (Toni Collette) and grandson Ransom (Chris Evans).  There are more sparring, self-indulgent spoiled siblings & off-springs.  It's a high offense to engage A list actors in a vehicle that's a wreckage with an added gratuitous car chase.  Harlan's death is revealed later the night of his birthday  celebrated by family with 2 non-family members present; the housekeeper and Harlan's young, doe eyed nurse/companion Marta (Ana de Armas).  Herein lies a clue: Ana ain't able to carry the heavy load of this film on her pretty head.  Foul play is surmised with Harlan's apparent suicide.  It's up to the local police & Det. Blanc to uncover the truth.  Blanc in his southern brawl tells us all "There is the inevitability of truth.  It's what you do with it that matters."  This is stolen from Sherlock Holmes: "The impossible, whatever remains, however improbably, must be the truth."  There's an admirable attempt at addressing illegal immigrants but it warranted more gravitas.  Harlan's daughter Linda (Jamie Lee Curtis) thinks her father's death feels more like one of the games he plays.  "I'm waiting for the big payoff" she quips which is like "Waiting for Godot."  KNIVES is mildly amusing but it doesn't cut it as a sordid, suspenseful or revelatory sleuth picture.  It's no enigma why Rian Johnson was fired by Disney from directing future "Star Wars" sequels.  The conundrum with this obfuscating mystery is the ripoff at the box-office.  It's enough to make you puke!  

"A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood" Stars Tom Hanks as Mr. Rogers

Fred Rogers, a.k.a. was a beacon of kindness, compassion and inspiration who impacted multi-generations with a covenant of caring.  "Won't You be My Neighbor" is the PBS doc. on Fred Rogers that came out earlier this year and is something to cheer about.  What more could a film offer than this heartwarming and inspiring doc?  It turns out this film portrays Mr. Rogers from the perspective of a cynical, embittered journalist transformed into a more understanding & accepting person supported by Rogers' proffered friendship.  Artistic license plied onto a moving & credible script is based on the real relationship between Fred (Tom Hanks) and journalist Tom Junod.  The script uses the pseudonym Lloyd Vogel (Matthew Rhys) for Junod.   Noah Harpster & Michah Fitzerman-Blue clever screenplay and magical art direction by George Weimerskirch created a more profound movie going experience than I could've imagined.  Vogel, known for his character assassin interviews is assigned to do a "puff piece" on Mr. Rogers much to his chagrin.  Nonetheless, Rogers' sincerity, focus and sage responses to Vogel melts the most incredulous cynic into a marshmallow.  I'm not referring to just Vogel whose backstory of family bitterness is a lot to chew.  I'm talking about me and you, NYC subway riders and the whole neighborhood shebang.  Hanks, Rhys and the masterful cast including Chris Cooper & Susan Kelechi Watson are just wonderful.  If this movie doesn't move you - you're in the wrong movie.  You're entitled to your feelings but I suggest instead "Maleficent" because your heart must be FROZEN.  Fred Rogers' legacy inspires us to be kind and reminds us "We were children once." Rogers' inimitable sagacity is for all ages, "Parents get a new chance to grow."  See "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood."   Whether it wins an Oscar doesn't matter.  It's a winning morality lottery ticket.