I was really excited to watch Sin, a 2019 film with an Italian cast but written and directed by Russian Andrei Konchalovsky, whose long career includes co-writing films for Tarkovsky in the Soviet Union, movies in USA and Europe after leaving the USSR in 1980, and, in the last 10 years, returning to Russia to make new pictures. Sin follows celebrated artist and sculptor Michelangelo, but rather than focus on his techniques or works, it tells of the political environment in which he worked. In the film, Michelangelo has been painting the Sistine Chapel for awhile, under the orders of Pope Julius II (whom they call Pope Giulio, in Italian). At the same time, he’s been working on sculptures for Giulio’s future tomb, which is going to be extravagant beyond measure and scope. However, Giulio dies, and is replaced by Pope Leo X. Giulio had been born from the noble della Rovere family, but Leo is of the tradesmen Medici family, della Rovere’s enemies. Leo thus scales back Michelangelo’s work on the unfinished tomb, cutting his pay and putting him on other projects, which doesn’t please the surviving della Rovere group. Through all of this, we see Michelangelo’s talent for finding beauty and inspiration in humanity in the most unlikely of places, as well as some of less savory characteristics of his personality (greed, ego, etc). Everything sounds great right? Unfortunately the premise is better than the execution. The movie is really dry, not nearly exciting enough to keep your attention. I could only be put off by the enormous chip on Michelangelo’s shoulder so many times. ★★
In the Heights was actually Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first breakout, earning 13 Tony nominations in 2008, 7 years before Hamilton made Miranda a household name. A film adaption has now been released, though Miranda is now too old to play the lead, a 20-something named Usnavi. Usnavi was a boy when his parents brought him from the Dominican Republic to Washington Heights in New York. His parents scraped their pennies and bought a bodega, which Usnavi operates now that they’ve died. “The Heights” has a diverse Latin American community, with people from Cuba to Puerto Rico and beyond. They stick together and are a real family, but there is evidence of splintering. People with money have started moving in and buying up some stores, charging much higher prices for their services, and some of the younger generation is wanting to leave for bigger and better places. This includes Usnavi, who has dreams of buying his dad’s old seaside restaurant/bar in the Dominican. His friend Benny works at a local taxi company. The taxi shop is run by Ken Rosario, a first generation immigrant, whose daughter Nina worked hard (while dad saved every dime) and is home for the summer after starting school last year at Stanford. Other key players include Usnavi’s love interest Vanessa, who works at the local salon (with many more Latin employees), and “Abuela”, everyone’s Grandma (though not by blood). There’s a lot of moving parts in the movie; everyone has their own individual dreams and setbacks. A lot going on, and it is easy to get lost if you aren’t paying attention. The soundtrack is a solid 5 stars. If you are a musical fan, you’ll love the songs, which are catchy and powerful. However, as a movie, it is good but not great. I feel like I’d enjoy seeing a live production more, but some of that energy gets lost on screen. So as it is, I give the movie a 4 (but will definitely see the national tour live when it comes to my city!). ★★★★
Pixar’s newest offering is about a teenage sea monster named Luca, who lives in the sea off Italy near a small fishing village. Raised on tales of the dangers of humans, he’s always stayed to the depths, and hides from any boat that goes overhead. But when he finds a few pieces of litter on the ocean floor, he dreams of the life above, Little Mermaid style. One day Luca meets another teenaged sea monster named Alberto, and follows him up to a small island off the coast. There, Luca learns a secret his parents never told him: when sea monsters dry off, they appear human. Knowing this, Alberto and Luca decide to visit the fishing village, where they meet and befriend a young girl named Giulia. Unfortunately, Giulia’s father is a fisherman who hunts the fabled sea monsters in the area. As the trio of youngsters prepare for a local bike race and triathlon, Luca must hide from his parents (who’ve come to the village to find him) and try to stay dry, thus keeping the secret from Giulia. It’s got everything you’d expect from a Pixar film: it’s beautifully colored, funny (with hidden jokes for adults; the cat that makes untrustworthy faces at Luca and Alberto is named Machiavelli!), and has the expected heartwarming story about inclusion. I don’t know if it is as endearing of some of the true Pixar classics, but it’s a good family film. ★★★★
I watch a lot of movies (obviously) including a lot of small budget films. I get burned a lot, but I give so many of them a shot because I’m always looking for that hidden gem. Skater Girl is today’s hit. Out of India, it follows a teenage girl named Prerna who is on her way to becoming a wife and mother, and in local tradition, will be both before long. She’s not looking forward to it, but with poor parents and little opportunity for schooling, she doesn’t see a chance for anything different. That is, until Jessica comes to town. Jessica was raised in London but comes from an Indian father, and she’s come to her father’s home town looking to connect to her roots. Prerna meets and befriends Jessica, showing her around town, and through Jessica, meets her friend Eric. Eric is an American who’s been teaching in the area, but what quickly amazes Prerna is that he comes riding into town on a skateboard. Prerna takes to skateboarding like a duck to water, and feels a freedom she never has before. Jessica buys skateboards for all the kids in town, which leads to butting heads with some of the elders. When Prerna’s father learns of this, he quickens his plans to marry her off before she loses all her respectability. Though the movie walks dangerously close to the white savior narrative, it still manages to focus mostly on Prerna and her wish to be something more than just a housewife. The movie is a bit like a Disney sports film, a la Million Dollar Arm or McFarland USA, complete with sometimes-cheesy dialogue, so if you like those kinds of movies (and I do), then you’ll enjoy this one too. ★★★★
Silver Skates is a Russian film recently released on Netflix, and I have to say, I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected to. Ostensibly based on the classic novel of the same name (though I don’t see how; the only parallels that I remember are the ice skates and a sick dad), it is about a young man living in St Petersburg near Christmas, 1899. The town is full of energy over the upcoming 20th century, but Matvey is struggling. From a poor family with his single father, Matvey has just been fired from his latest job and needs to find a way to bring money into the household. A crack shot on ice skates, Matvey latches on to a gang of thieves who are making a killing in the festive atmosphere. With the rivers, lakes, and canals frozen with winter, shops and performers have set up on the ice to peddle their wares, and the robbers are having a field day skating rings around the richer patrons. At the same time, Matvey’s eye has been caught by Alice, a wealthy young lady from an aristocratic family. Matvey’s new friends do not approve; they’ve been reading Karl Marx and are ready to ignite the upcoming Russian Revolution. This romance, and a rivalry with one of Alice’s jealous suitors, becomes the central plot of the film. Despite uneven acting at times, I was mesmerized by the picture. It features high production value and a heartwarming tale, even though whole “poor man falls in love with a rich woman” story has been done a million times. Yes, it’s been told before, but it is done well here too. ★★★½
- TV Series currently watching: Gotham (season 4)
- Book currently reading: The Dark Tower by Stephen King
Jons Movie Takes 