Our Friend (2021) directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite

Sad news to report that my first trip back to the theaters in the year 2021 was more underwhelming than I had hoped. Gabriela Cowperthwaite's Our Friend is a passable but recycled story about caring for someone with cancer. This type of story is one that will never fail to make me emotional, mainly because of personal experience with cancer in my family, but it's one that I just could never fully latch on to. Its characters are mildly interesting, its direction is solid, and the fact that it is based on a true story from an article is enough to draw me in, but I could never shake the feeling that I had seen this kind of film before. This isn't to say that this heartwrenching story shouldn't have been told, but rather that it is a difficult one to approach in the first place. The performances from the whole cast were phenomenal and there is so much heart put into the adaptation of this story but I just think that heart was a bit used up already.

When Matt (Casey Affleck) finds out that his wife Nicole (Dakota Johnson) has terminal cancer, he is at odds with how to manage his personal life consisting of his journalism career and two daughters. Family friend Dean (Jason Segel) steps up to the plate and moves in with them for a few weeks to help get Matt settled back in the routine of his life but ends up staying for much longer than anticipated when Dean becomes a greater friend than they could have ever asked for. Any film that is about cancer in any capacity always has the potential to be a tearjerker regardless of genre. It's a terrifying thing to think about and one that I feel any right-minded person could feel for; which is why focusing this film on the relationship between the couple and their incoming friend is a bit strange. I went into Our Friend expecting most of the movie to be about Nicole's struggle with cancer or how much Dean's help meant to the two but what I got was an examination into the psyche of her husband Matt instead. Not only was I vastly uninterested in the character of Matt right off the bat but I was a bit frustrated with how much Cowperthwaite focused on him. If this film would have been entirely about Nicole and how her fight with cancer affected the people around her or even about Dean coming in to help the family and how it took a toll on him emotionally, that would have been fantastic. While the film with its already too long of a runtime does indeed touch on those things, I was just a bit disappointed when Casey Affleck was given the spotlight. The script by Brad Ingelsby does its best to keep the audience invested in the stakes of this family's story but I have really seen this story before. Nothing about the characters' lives or interests or careers were original enough to make me wholeheartedly engaged but Ingelsby does just enough to make me want to see what happens next.

Cowperthwaite's direction is pretty strange throughout the entirety of Our Friend because while she demonstrates a very strong ability to carry a story, I just don't think she handled it in the best way possible. I never had problems with following along with the story or anything but the nonlinear approach to the film never seemed to serve any purpose. No events were really connected and no purpose to the chronological scattershot of the plot (scatterplot?) was ever shown and after a while, I just began to think that it was a choice made due to the dull nature of the story in the first place. I honestly began to wonder when Nicole would ever die just so I could move on past that part that I knew was coming. Cowperthwaite is a great director, but I just think she needs better or more original material to work with. Thankfully, even though I have seen this kind of story before and the way that it brings out emotions from its audience is nothing new, Dakota Johnson and Jason Segel's performances are just aces. Johnson has been getting some fantastic roles in the past few years and I am so happy to see her career skyrocket past the "one girl from Fifty Shades of Grey" stance. She is able to really nail the complex range of emotions seen from someone with cancer as well as the loving side of her motherhood seen in the flashbacks. Segel is really the standout of this movie, however, as his caring side is put on full display in his character. He is really just a giant, lovable, teddy bear that makes every film he is in miles better, and to see him placed in a suiting role like this just makes sense. Like I said, I wish his story would have been given more focus (enough to justify the film being titled about him) but the scenes he was in were just great to watch. This entire cast works well together and their chemistry is really what saves this movie from being an even more forgettable cancer story.

It's a good thing that I was not expecting to be blown away by this film because sometimes, all one needs is an emotional trip to make sure that they still feel things. Our Friend is great at doing just that and while I was never really astounded by any of the storytelling choices that were made, it is just effective enough to warrant a watch. Segel and Johnson absolutely steal this film more than anything and if more focus had been placed on their subplots, I would have been much more interested. But alas, we got what we got and I am satisfied enough to be able to say that I enjoyed it.

My Rating: ★★★

One Night in Miami... (2021) directed by Regina King

It's hard to believe that this story is based on an actual true occurrence because from hearing the premise, one might think bringing these four legends together for one night might seem forced. However, this is really one of the best ideas for a stage production turned film, and I was genuinely curious as to what this would be throughout its entire runtime. Regina King's directorial debut One Night in Miami... is one of 2021's best movies so far and makes for a fantastic exploration into much-discussed themes like race, class, and white privilege. King is able to bring out some absolutely stellar performances from her cast along with adapting the script into a decently creative cinematic vision. I did have some issues with the direction and the actors' reliance on carrying the energy of the story but regardless of some underwhelming decisions, I can easily see this film entering the Oscars conversation without hesitation.

Civil rights leader Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), soul singer Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.), NFL football star Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge), and renowned fighter Cassius Clay (Eli Goree) all meet up in a hotel room after Clay's success in a fight that night in Miami. As the four of them begin to unravel their reasons for being there, they take a turn into discussing some of the most pressing matters regarding the treatment of black people in America at the time. The script, written by Kemp Powers and adapted from his stage production of the same name, is one of the best parts of this entire film. Powers is able to tackle this story with a concise nature and tie together all of the themes that these icons discuss with grace and without making it seem strange. The fact that at one point in history, these four people actually were together in a room to this degree is captivating to me and I think Powers does a fantastic job of intertwining their morals and backgrounds to make for an interesting story. Seeing Malcolm X, Cooke, Brown, and Clay all agree with many things but also nearly get into physical altercations about other things is so compelling and the different degrees to which they are presented in this film makes for such a solid, bottle-episode premise. Powers is also able to tackle so many different ideas that these men bring up in argument and conversation, including race, position amongst white people, and religion, without ever making one seem less important than the other. Some of the causes that these men fought and stood for may seem more radical than others but Powers' script brings them all together to really give each of them a rich history lesson. My only issue with this story was King's direction in certain spots. This is a fantastic film for her to make her debut on and she proves to be more than capable of handling a story but I never once got a sense of what her individual style could be. Since One Night in Miami... is primarily set in the one location of the hotel room, it never gave King enough opportunity to test out her creative limits and I was just a bit disappointed that King was never quite able to show what I can only assume are her true talents as a director.

Regardless of how few locations and environments she was given to work with, King still succeeds in making the best out of the script and keeping this film as engaging as possible. One of the best parts about her direction, though, is how she is able to squeeze out good performances from every single member of this cast. From the main four men to the supporting cast such as Lance Reddick and Joaquina Kalukango, every cast member gave their all and it was so obvious how dedicated they all were to telling this important and contemporarily relevant story. Ben-Adir, Hodge, and Goree all brought just the perfect amount of charisma, confidence, and charm that their respective characters' personalities demanded but Odom Jr. is who actually stood out the most to me. I can easily see him snatching up a Best Supporting Actor award for this film because he was truly one of the best standouts. I don't know much of his acting work as much as I do his musical career but if there is one thing King is good at, it's blending her cast's talents together in the most effective ways. Not only was Odom Jr. the perfect pick for Cooke because of his actual musical abilities but the emotional range he brings to the role was sublime. I never knew of all the connections these men had to each other before watching this movie but Odom Jr. brings them all together with his character in such a grand way that I could not help but feel impressed by. The cinematography and editing throughout One Night in Miami... were fairly decent and helped to move along the story but more than anything, this movie is built to be a showcase for its actors. This is why it makes sense that it was previously a stage play and I am certain that the black actors involved in the stage production of this were just as committed to the roles. I really loved this film the more it went on and although it lacked a certain kind of luster to make it stand out more creatively, King crafts a movie worth watching by one and all.

One can only imagine what it would be like to be a fly on the wall for the conversations between these four icons on that one particular night and although Regina King's take might be a bit heightened for cinematic purposes, One Night in Miami... is a spectacular vision of that. This film is consistently engaging and really kept me in the minds and lives of these four men - enough so that I actually have been learning more about black icons and historical culture from movies than I ever did in school. I can definitely see a bright awards future for this film coming up soon and one that will hopefully begin to put King's name more on the map.

My Rating: ★★★½

Pieces of a Woman (2021) directed by Kornél Mundruczó

Oddly enough, one of my resolutions for 2021 is to not write as much film criticism. The past three years of running my blog have been fantastic and have led me to so many wonderful sites and opportunities but lately, I have been seriously feeling burnout from the sheer stress of putting out quantities of pieces. I decided that I only want to write about films I see that really stick out and luckily, this year started off right with Kornél Mundruczó's Pieces of a Woman. This film is an absolutely emotional exploration into one woman's psyche and one that features some of the best performances from its leads that I had only been hearing good things about. From the direction to the cinematography to the clever, near lack of editing, this movie might not be the most joyous or celebratory film to start off the New Year with but it is one that really solidifies my feelings of cinema being the highest form of storytelling in our modern world.

Martha (Vanessa Kirby) and Sean (Shia LaBeouf) are a couple living in Boston who are expecting a child together. When Martha starts to go into labor, a midwife that they are not used to comes to help them out but an almost unspeakable tragedy occurs when the baby is born. Months after the untimely death, Martha struggles to live alongside her loss while the drama of her family life continues. This script, written by Kata Wéber, is definitely the highlight of this entire film, as it provides one of the most honest and emotionally powerful depictions of learning to live with loss that I have ever seen. The way that Wéber navigates the emotions and reactions of all of the different characters close to Martha was phenomenal and I was so consistently engaged with the dynamics between them all. What Pieces of a Woman does best, however, is showing how differently people handle grief at this level. Countless movies have done this before, of course, but when it comes to something as personal and heartwrenching as the loss of a newborn child, this film absolutely succeeds. Martha may have been distant and quieter while Sean may have been outraged that actions were not being taken but Wéber's story shows that both of these people are completely justified in their emotional states. People need different timelines for grief and they do so in various ways and this film is just brilliant at showing the contrast between its characters and how they learn to move on. The only issue I had with this film was the direction and pacing from Mundruczó. His direction is entirely solid as he handles the story in such a grounded way but I could not help but feel how badly this movie dragged on. It really did not need to be as long as it was and while there were plenty of interesting subplots and ideas that were explored, so many stretches of this film dragged hard. Just another case of a film that could definitely benefit from tighter editing.

Kirby's performance as Martha is one of the best I have seen in a while and while I mostly know her from the Mission: Impossible and Fast and Furious franchises, she excels in this role much more than I could have ever. She takes this film and really makes it her own as she is able to traverse through the life of Martha with an impactful level of emotion that is rare to see in a performer. She is certain to be a favorite come Oscar season and she really deserves it - the dedication and nuance that Kirby puts into her character are honestly beyond belief. While the controversy and abuse from LaBeouf that has surfaced in the last few weeks is another story, his performance is also fantastic. LaBeouf really shines when he is put in these heavy-handed, supporting roles and he does such a wonderful job of embodying the character of Sean just as well. Watching Pieces of a Woman, I honestly never would have expected the visual storytelling to be nearly as compelling as the script. A film like this almost entirely relies on good screenwriting to engage its audience and while it did a great job of that, I was surprised with how beautiful this movie looked and felt as well. The cinematography from Benjamin Loeb is stunning and draws you into this story more than anything else in the film. The entrancing long takes and wide shots leave so much room for the story to breathe when the audience needs it and I just fell in love with the way Loeb shoots this movie; especially in the first half an hour or so when Martha is preparing to give birth. The nearly 20-minute take of just Martha and Sean in and around their apartment as the baby is getting ready to come was riveting and draws in its audience and never lets them go. Once I was finally able to breathe from that incredibly tense sequence was when I realized how well the cinematography worked for this story. Many could understandably find the camera choices to be corny but I genuinely loved the choices made through Loeb's lens.

Pieces of a Woman is sure to be a smash amongst Academy voters and it rightfully deserves that - a film about a sensitive subject such as this done with such grace and well-intentioned meaning is always a surefire winner. While I might not have been so on board with some of the creative choices made along the way, Mundruczó crafts a beautiful portrait of grief and acceptance that is difficult not to be moved by and one bolstered by the excellent performances from its cast. And what could be better than Benny Safdie hitting a vape for no apparent reason?

My Rating: ★★★½

Gone with the Wind (1939) directed by Victor Fleming

AFI Top 100: #6

I really didn't know how metal this movie was going to be until the main character literally shoots a man point-blank in the face (all I needed was her then promptly saying "and now you are the one who is gone... with the wind"). Victor Fleming's timeless film Gone with the Wind makes it obvious within minutes of its opening why it has become such an incredible classic. From the sweepingly grand production design to the unforgettable performances from the leads, this film is such an expansive epic that it is hard not to find something to love within its nearly four-hour timeframe. Although it is clearly dated due to the side of history that these main characters are on and the way a lot of people of color are treated and sidelined, this film contains one of the most memorable tales of lost romance ever put to screen and one that will open any viewer's eyes as to why it is so important to film history.

During the American Civil War, Scarlett O'Hara (Vivien Leigh) must learn how to rebuild her home life after losing much of it due to the North. When she meets the brash and handsome Rhett Butler (Clark Gable), she must struggle between the newfound romance with him and her desire to build a better life for herself and her relationships. The writing in this film from Sidney Howard and adapted from the original story by Margaret Mitchell is just fantastic and provides a very detailed and expansive look at these characters and their lives during the Civil War. Every character that was introduced throughout Gone with the Wind was written so individualistically that it never proved to be a hard time following their stories. I often have a hard time figuring out who is who and who wants what in long epics like this but Howard does an amazing job of keeping their stories contained and consistently entertaining throughout the entire runtime. The direction from Fleming was incredible as well and it never really felt like a four-hour film because of how great he is at moving this story along at such a manageable pace. Along with this and The Wizard of Oz in the same year, Fleming was really not afraid to show how reliable he was as a director at the time. This writing, however beautiful and relatable it may be, is still obviously a bit problematic for many reasons, and even for Hollywood writers and directors at the time, I feel like this was a bit too much. The main characters in this film are on the side of the Confederacy during the Civil War, which leads way for them to treat people of color throughout this movie as not so human, unfortunately. The fact that Scarlett and Rhett were on the side of the South could have very easily been an interesting subplot to explore with them realizing how badly their side of the war was treating the slaves but I was a bit upset with how the writing fails to utilize that, which did nothing for the story. This is still a beautiful tale of love and loss with deeply rich characters but I also find it important to recognize the potential this film had to be a much timelier and not as offensive look at the characters' morals.

The performances from the entire cast were absolutely wonderful, including Leigh, Gable, and Hattie McDaniel as the supporting role of Scarlett's maid Mammy. McDaniel was actually the first black person in history to ever win an Oscar and her supporting role proves throughout the movie that it was so wildly deserved. She really carries the stress of the whole story on her character's back and shows it in her performance, which was just astounding. The chemistry between Leigh and Gable was also a strong point of the film, as they are able to get along and simultaneously bicker with ease and their relationship felt so natural. Every up and down that Scarlett and Rhett went through was able to be felt and their performances bring along just that right amount of energy towards each other to make their characters believable. The music and editing in Gone with the Wind were also great and really help to tell the visual story of this romantic tale. However, what stood out to me the most was the cinematography from Ernest Haller. His camerawork was just stunning and constantly made this film better with every shot that he composed. Every shot was just a pure painting and his use of shadows and lighting throughout the film is downright gorgeous. Although his use of backgrounds and sets to set up some of the most stunning sequences were a bit obvious, he uses them in some of the movie's widest and most emotional shots and I adored his variance in camera movements to tell the story. Haller's cinematography truly remains iconic and there were a lot of moments in this film that I recognized from so many other forms of media. All of these visual pieces come together to create one of the most recognizable and important films in cinematic history and the true mark of cultural importance is parody. I have seen so many parodies and references and countless nods to Gone with the Wind that it has really proven itself to be a landmark in epic filmmaking.

Gone with the Wind rocks for a lot of reasons and while I know a much more certified and reliable cinephile could list off those reasons in a more elegant way than me, just know that this movie is definitely worth at least a watch. Leigh and Gable have some of the most exciting chemistry I have ever seen from a classic film couple of this era and their ups and downs throughout this film constantly surprised me. I will always love a movie that can take its war-set premise and actually make it interesting for once and just like Scarlett says: "War, war, war! This war talk's spoiling all the fun at every party this spring. I get so bored I could scream!" Me too, Scarlett. Me too.

My Rating: ★★★★½