Number 4
BATTLE OF THE SEXES
Directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Fayyon
Screenplay Simon Beaufoy
Starring Emma Stone and Steve Carell
The time is 1973, the women's tennis association is fighting for respect and better pay. It does not help that Bobby Riggs is spouting off that, even at 55, he can beat any female player. Then comes Billy Jean King.
This is a near perfect film. It puts you right into that place and time, leading up to the match...during the match...and after the match. What you saw during the match is clearly only half the story;
Billy Jean King played wonderfully by Emma Stone, is in the spotlight most of the time. You feel for her. The pressure of fighting for women's equal pay, being married and questioning her sexuality, then the unwanted spotlight of the match. There is a sadness about her life...at least at this time of her life...being stoic but being vulnerable also. Emma Stone...enough said (She was overlooked by for an Oscar nomination but Meryl Streep in The Post? Really? Really?)!!
Then you have Bobby Riggs. The opposite of Billy Jean. He is a Carnival-Barker. A show man. A degenerate gambler. A man who obviously is struggling with growing old. He is before his time, a self promoter before the internet. He found a way to use the television/industry to promote himself, and they fall for it. Steve Carell is the real deal here. You see in the trailer him being over the top, but there are a couple moments, when you see Bobby/Carell being quiet and you see there is much more to him. Carell is fantastic in a part that many people will not like. However as I watch this I really think it was a show, he was a showman. Point...Riggs and King stayed close friends.
As for the script...well done by Beaufoy. I approached this a little weary of it. It was getting good reviews, but I had a fear that critics were giving the film good reviews for fear of being called sexist or antigay...(aka Moonlight the fear of being racist when reality it was just an above average film, well acted but the script was snoozer after the first act). My fears were laid to rest quickly,...it sucks you in right away and for two hours you are all in (No Spoilers). You laugh often. You cheer. You feel for King. You hold your breath during the match and you already know who won!!! The script is that good.
One last note: Elisabeth Shue !!!! Yes that Elisabeth Shue!! Where have you been???!!! I wanted more!!!
Battle Of The Sexes is available for home viewing now.
Number 3
BABY DRIVER
Directed by Edger Wright
Screenplay by Edger Wright
Starring Ansel Elgort; Jon Bernthal; Jon Hamm: Eliza Gonzalez; Lily James; Kevin Spacey; and Jamie Foxx
The marketing for this film was way off. They tried to sell it as a Fast And Furious Film...all action.
Well do not be fooled. This is a Steve McQueen heist film. This is a Tarantino bloody and dry humor film. This is one of the best romantic film of the year. Thrown all together in a mixing bowl...stirred up and somehow it works. Great script and great direction by Edger Wright makes this all work.
Casting and performances were spot on....
Foxx and Spacey giving their best performances in years.
Newcomer Gonzalez holds her own versus the big time stars.
Hamm who gives his best performance since Mad Men...is just sinister.
However.....lets face it ...this film belongs to the leads Elgort ( who was wonderful in Fault) and James ( who I thought was underrated in Cinderella). They have great chemistry and most of the time are acting one on one with these big stars whom I just mentioned. It is a lot to ask of them and they are magnificent.
Music-Then there is music. I mean it can feel like a musical or a music video. The film almost has a beat of its own. The music is fun.
It is all just fun!! You have to want to see it again!
Baby Driver is now available for home viewing.
Number 2
WONDER
Directed by Stephen Chbosky
Screenplay by Stephen Chbosky; Steve Conrad; and Jack Thorne\
Based on the book by R.J. Palacio
Starring Jacob Tremblay; Owen Wilsom; Julia Roberts; Izabela Vidovic; Mandy Patinkin; Daveed Diggs; Noah Jupe; and Danielle Rose Russell
Don't roll your eyes.. Yes it had a built in market from the best selling novel. However like The Greatest Showman this movie lived on word of mouth. I had a couple passes to this. I saw it twice. A month apart. Both times people cheered. People were crying leaving. It delivered exactly what it promised. As noted when I started this Top Ten...it shows kindness. Kindeness...something on the internet you do not see often enough. People wanted it, and here it delivered.
The film is about about a young boy named Auggie (Tremblay) who has had many operations on his face because of facial anomalies. We follow Auggie as he fights his way through middle school.
This film is really good, it touches on so many interesting angles. Let me get started with that:
Script: The trailer is sort of misleading, this film is not just about Auggie. We also have a story about Auggie's older sister Via (Vidovic), she goes through life taking a back seat to Auggie. He is in the spotlight at home constantly. Does anyone care about her life? Where does she fit in?
We have Miranda (Russell) Via's best friend and Auggies's friend Jack (Jupe) showing us that people carry pain and embarrassment with them that may not be on the surface unlike Auggie.
You also have the sad truth that kids can be mean. We see how the principle and teachers deal with it, knowing they have to walk the line of knowing too much punishment for certain actions can put more of an unwanted spotlight on Auggie. Most important, yes there are tears but often there are laughs...which is life.
Casting: Perfect. Yes Tremblay; Wilson; Roberts; Owens; and Vidovic are great as you would expect. However there are so many small part that are just spot on, Patinkin as the principle of the private middle school; Diggs as Mr Browne the homeroom teacher; Jupe as Jack; and Nadji Jeter as Justin, are all spot on perfect.
Please note I did not read the book so I have no comparison. But no comparison worked for me.
So see it, before you roll your eyes. There is something about this film. Time and place...this year, of all years, it fits.
Number 1 is next!!!
From the shadows as always thanks for your time.
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