Movie/TV Reviews

Susan Granger’s review of “September 5” (Paramount Pictures)

 

On September 5,1972, Palestinian terrorists, part of a group known as Black Sepyember, infiltrated the Olympic Village in Munich, killing two Israeli athletes and taking nine others hostage.

Writer/director Tim Fehlbaum’s “September 5” is a tense journalism thriller, chronicling how news of that that atrocity reached the rest of the world.

Since ABC Sports was broadcasting the Games, utilizing their link to the newly launched space satellite, its bleary-eyed crew were on-site and among the first to hear gunfire. As they scrambled to get into position to ‘cover’ this major story, logistics became their primary concern.

Alerted by ambitious young producer Geoffrey Mason (John Magaro) and network executive Roone Arledge (Peter Sarsgaard), “Wide World of Sports” anchorman Jim McKay, who was scheduled to take that day off, immediately started to deliver on-camera updates, augmented by off-camera observations by Middle East expert, then 34-year-old Peter Jennings (Benjamin Walker).

Maneuvering inside the newsroom during the 17-hour ordeal are operations manager Marvin Bader (Ben Chaplin), an anguished Jewish New Yorker whose family was devastated by the Holocaust; Jacques Lesgards, a French Algerian Arab; and local ‘hire’ Marianne Gebhardt (Leonie Benesch), their only German translator.

Gebhardt was keenly aware of the significance of Germany’s hosting the Olympics since the previous Berlin games in 1936 were presided over by Adolf Hitler.

Co-scripting with Moritz Binder, Swiss director Tim Fehlbaum takes a deep dive into the dynamics of media ethics since ABC’s live television coverage was informing both the terrorists and the hostages’ families what West German authorities were doing/not doing to alleviate the situation.

Credit cinematographer Markus Forderer and editor Hansjorg Weissbrich for achieving astonishing authenticity by interweaving archival news footage. Their reportage of the Munich crisis won ABC Sports 29 Emmys and led Arledge to eventually become President of ABC News.

Riveting and relevant, the message of this film resonates with the ongoing conflict after Hamas’s brutal October 7^th 2023 massacre of civilians at an Israeli music festival.

FYI: Steven Spielberg’s “Munich” (2005) focused on Israel’s subsequent mission to wreak revenge on those responsible for the Olympic carnage.

In German and English, on the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “September 5” is an enthralling 8, playing in theaters.

Susan Granger’s review of “Emilia Perez” (Netflix)

 

If you’re looking for something truly different, watch French filmmaker Jacques Audiard’s daring operatic drama “Emilia Perez.”

Set against the brutality of Mexico City’s drug cartels, it’s the story of Juan ‘Manitas’ Del Monte, a swarthy, cigar-smoking, middle-aged kingpin – married with two young children – who yearns to be a woman.

To achieve that end, he hires Rita Moro Castro (Zoe Saldana), an overworked, overlooked criminal defense attorney, to discreetly arrange his highly risky gender reassignment surgery in Switzerland, eventually emerging as the titular Emilia Perez (Karla Sofia Gascon), leaving his angry yet adoring wife Jessi (Selena Gomez) to believe he’s dead.

Together, Emilia and Rita form a nonprofit charity with the goal of improving the lives of Latin American women whose worlds have been destroyed by narco violence. Among them is Epifania (Adriana Paz), who becomes Emilia’s paramour.

Complications arise when benevolent Emilia – now a justice-seeking philanthropist – demands that Rita arrange a reunion with Jessi and their children. Claiming to be the Del Monte children’s rich ‘auntie,’ doting Emilia tries to intimidate petulant Jessi, who has since reunited with her longtime lover, Gustavo Brun (Edgar Ramiriz).

Hefty, transgender Spanish actress Karla Sofia Gascon brings a sincere, melodramatic flair to a complex dual performance – involving transition, transformation and rebirth – while Zoe Saldana (“Avatar,” “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Lioness”) once again demonstrates her versatility.

Working with cinematographer Paul Guilhaume, writer/director Jacques Audiard notes that his libretto was inspired by a character in a chapter in Boris Razon’s 2018 novel “Ecoute” (“Listen”) about a ruthless, hyper-macho drug trafficker who asks a lawyer for logistical help to transition into a woman.

Composed by Clement Ducol and Camille Dalmais, the musical numbers are brief and bizarre, beginning with “El Alegato” (“The Plea”) to chanting surgery-based lyrics in a Bangkok clinic – referring to “mammaplasty,” “vaginoplasty” and “laryngoplasty”- and proceeding onto Selena Gomez’s pop ballad “Mi Camino” (“My Path”), while Zoe Saldana wraps up with “El Mal” (“The Evil”).

In Spanish with English subtitles, “Emilia Perez” is a unique, provocative, compassionate 8, streaming on Netflix.

Susan Granger’s review of “The Last Showgirl”  (Roadside Attractions)

 

After years of being dismissed as just a bodacious “Baywatch” babe, Pamela Anderson proves she’s a sensitive, discerning actress in Gia Coppola’s “The Last Showgirl” with perceptive Jamie Lee Curtis as her best friend.

This poignant character study revolves around 57-year-old Shelly (Anderson), who has spent more than 30 years as a feather-fanned, rhinestone-studded dancer in a gaudy Las Vegas “tits and feathers” extravaganza called “Le Razzle Dazzle.”

Shelly views herself as an artist and is inordinately proud of this tacky nudie venue, comparing it to the renowned Lido in Paris. But her world goes into a tailspin when the stage manager Eddie (Dave Bautista) tells her that they’re closing in two weeks – to be replaced by a youth-oriented, erotic circus.

When her younger cohorts – Jodie (Kieran Shipka) and Marianne (Brenda Song) – start auditioning for work elsewhere, Shelly discovers to her dismay that her days in the chorus line are over. She has no idea what to do next and begins to wonder if her ‘career’ was worth the sacrifices she made – like neglecting her now-grown, estranged daughter Hannah (Billie Lourd), who aspires to be a photographer.

At Shelly’s side is her brassy best-friend, spray-tanned former showgirl Annette (Jamie Lee Curtis), who now works as a casino cocktail waitress, often losing ‘shifts’ to fresher faces.

With her breathy, vulnerable Marilyn Monroe-like voice, Pamela Anderson seems to relish removing her makeup and courageously showing her age, while Jamie Lee Curtis’ instinctive grasp of her character is simply sensational.

When director Gia Coppola (“Palo Alto,” “Mainstream”), whose grandfather is Francis Ford Coppola, makes a movie, it’s a family venture. Kate Gersten adapted her stage play into this film script; she’s married to producer Matthew Shire, half-brother to Gia’s cousin Jason Schwartzman, who plays a showgirl casting director. And Gia’s mother, Jacqueline Getty, designed the costumes with Rainy Jacobs.

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Last Showgirl” is a melancholy, sympathetic 7, playing in theaters.

Susan Granger’s review of “A Complete Unknown” (Searchlight Pictures)

 

Timothee Chalamet delivers an amazing performance as young Bob Dylan in James Mangold’s “A Complete Unknown,” which chronicles 19-year-old Dylan’s arrival in New York – after hitchhiking from Minnesota in 1961 – and his rapid rise to fame as a folk singer/songwriter, culminating with his dicey choice – four years later – to transition into a rock star.

Dylan’s first stop is a hospital in New Jersey to meet his hero, bedridden Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy), suffering from Huntington’s disease, whose other visitor is veteran folksinger Pete Seeger (Edward Norton). After listening to Dylan sing and play his acoustic guitar, they acknowledge his talent and become his mentors.

Thanks to Seeger, Dylan turn out to be an overnight success, managed by Albert Grossman (Dan Fogler) and encouraged by musicologist Alan Lomax (Norbert Leo Butz), who loves his “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “The Times They Are A-Changin.”

Meanwhile, Dylan moves in with activist/artist Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning) at 161 W. Fourth Street in Greenwich Village; she inspires him with ideas for songs. Their liaison lasts until she goes out of town and he hooks up with established folk artist Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro), personally and professionally.

(Sylvie stands in for Suze Rotolo; Dylan specifically asked Mangold – who adapted Elijah Wald’s 2015 best-seller “Dylan Goes Electric!” with Jay Cocks – not to use Suze’s real name.)

The climax of the film is a near-riot at the ‘65 Newport Folk Festival because self-absorbed Dylan, despite being the folk genre’s highly-advertised closing act. wanted to acknowledge his artistic evolution by playing new rock ‘n’ roll songs on his recently acquired electric guitar.

FYI: The original title for this film was “Going Electric.”

Displaying incredible mastery of Dylan’s raspy nasal twang – after working with vocal coach Eric Vetro – 28-year-old Chalamet’s impersonation is remarkable; as for his guitar mastery, he studied for five years with Larry Saltzman.

And he’s been endorsed by the 83-year-old Nobel Prize-winning legend who wrote on X: “Timmy’s a brilliant actor so I’m sure he’s going to be completely believable as me. Or a younger me. Or some other me.”

Nods also to Boyd Holbrook as supportive Johnny Cash and to production designer Francois Audouy’s meticulous authenticity.

 On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “A Complete Unknown” is a scruffy, scrappy, if sanitized 7, playing in theaters.

 

Susan Granger’s review of “Babygirl” (A24)

 

I really don’t know how to review “Babygirl,” a senseless study of a woman who –- after 19 years of marriage – has never admitted to her husband that she cannot orgasm without kinky S&M role-playing, which is odd since he’s a theater director.

Reminiscent of erotic thrillers like “9 ½ Weeks,” “Fifty Shade of Gray” and “Basic Instinct,” it’s all about sex and power.  As controlling tech C.E.O. Romy Mathis (Kidman) is walking to work in Manhattan one morning, she’s sexually aroused by the sight of a young man calming a ferocious dog, which is obviously a metaphor about the wild, untamed beast within us.

It turns out that he’s Samuel (British actor Harris Dickinson), an impudent intern starting work at Tensile, her warehouse robotics company. Soon they’ve embarked on a spiky, steamy affair, which is particularly risky for her impeccable personal and professional career. But raw, reckless danger is what Romy thrives on.

“I think you like to be told what to do,” 28-year-old Samuel brazenly observes at one of their first workplace meetings. Later, after months of hooking up in hotel rooms with his subservient cougar boss, he notes: “I could make one call and you lose everything.”

These fetish fantasy-fueled sexual encounters are explicit and graphic – a sadomasochistic challenge which is obviously what appealed to bold, adventurous 57-year-old Kidman who – despite previous raunchy roles in “Dead Calm” and “Eyes Wide Shut” – projects an ‘ice maiden’ image which she’s eager to defrost.

While Dutch writer/director Halina Reijn (“Bodies, Bodies, Bodies”) relates the entire psychodrama from Romy’s female perspective, she never delves into why Romy has never confessed her repressed desire for submissive game-playing behavior to her devoted husband Jacob (Antonio Banderas), who – ironically – is currently directing a production of Ibsen’s “Hedda Gabler.”

(That lack of conversation is reminiscent of “Disclaimer” in which Cate Blanchett’s shame-filled character never told her husband she was raped by a young man while on vacation in Italy.)

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “Babygirl” is a frustrating 5, playing in theaters.

Susan Granger’s review of “Juror #2” (Warner Bros.)

 

While Clint Eastwood’s “Juror #2” is a compelling courtroom drama, the even bigger mystery is why Warner Bros. only briefly released it in 50 theaters before it began streaming exclusively on HBO Max.

Did 94 year-old Eastwood know that his latest adult-skewing procedural was primarily meant for streaming? Produced on a frugal budget in the mid-$30 million range, it was obviously never considered a major Oscar contender.

When free-lance writer Justin Kemp (Nicholas Hoult) is summoned to jury duty in Savannah, Georgia, he tries to get out of serving by explaining that his wife Allison (Zoey Deutch) is in the third trimester of a high-risk pregnancy.  But the Judge (Amy Aquino) doesn’t consider her condition to be exemption-worthy.

So the trial begins. After a night of drinking and arguing with her boyfriend, James Sythe (Gabriel Basso), Kendall Carter (Francesca Eastwood) leaves the roadside bar in a rainstorm. Witnesses saw them fighting and remember him chasing her out to the parking lot. Later, her corpse is found on rocks beneath a nearby bridge.

Prosecutor Faith Killebrew (Toni Collette) views James’ culpability as a foregone conclusion and hopes that a ‘guilty’ murder verdict in this domestic violence case will influence her upcoming election as District Attorney.

But James steadfastly claims he’s innocent, instructing his earnest defense lawyer, Eric Resnick (Chris Messina), to refuse Faith’s plea bargain offer.

Meanwhile, recovering alcoholic Justin is confused about the details of his own automobile accident that same night and he confesses to his AA sponsor (Kiefer Sutherland) that he perhaps knows more than he’d like to admit.

Cast as other jurors, J.K. Simmons, Cedric Yarbrough, Adrienne C. Moore, Chikako Fukuyama and Leslie Bibb voice their provocative perspectives.

So whodunit?  Screenwriter Jonathan Abrams and director Eastwood are ambivalent about revealing any more than absolutely necessary about justice and Justin’s moral dilemma, leading to a controversial conclusion.

FYI: Yes, 31 year-old Francesca Eastwood is Clint’s real-life daughter with actress Frances Fisher.

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “Juror #2” is a sturdy, serviceable 7, streaming on HBO Max.

Susan Granger’s review of “It Ends With Us” (Columbia/Sony)

 

The romantic drama “It Ends With Us” has become far better known for its behind-the-scenes controversy than its impact at the box-office.

When actor/producer/director Justin Baldoni optioned Colleen Hoover’s bestselling 2016 novel about a toxic, abusive relationship and cast Blake Lively as its star, he obviously had no inkling about the on-set tension that would erupt.

But after filming was completed, Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds deliberately avoided Baldoni and his wife Emily at the premieres. Apparently, Lively, having just given birth to her fourth child, felt Baldoni had “fat-shamed” her about her body and allegedly lingered too long in a kissing scene.

Other members of the cast seemed to side with Lively, although Baldoni’s friends steadfastly claim he’s a male feminist and would never behave that way. The conclusion seems to be that Lively & Baldoni had “creative differences.”

So what about the picture itself?

After surviving a difficult childhood in Plethora, Maine, Lily Bloom (Lively) has always dreamed of owning her own flower shop in Boston, where she meets Ryle Kincaid (Baldoni), a charming yet volatile neurosurgeon.

But then the first-love-of-her-life, protective Atlas Corrigon (Brandon Sklenar), reappears, and Lily faces a painful choice – which involves breaking the insidious cycle of domestic violence that entraps one generation after another.

Adapted by screenwriter Christy Hall, it’s related through Lily’s sensitive perspective, often lacking subtlety and glossing over violent parts of the story, demonstrating how intimidating abusive partnerships can be. Clichés and contrivances abound, many of which can be traced to the original book.

Flashbacks between teenage Lily (Isabela Ferrer) and homeless Atlas (Alex Neustaedter) reveal the traumas that shaped both of their lives.

Bottom Line: the theme serves as a reminder to domestic abuse victims that there is a way out. But it’s questionable whether Baldoni will direct Colleen Hoover’s sequel, “It Starts With Us,” which his Wayfarer Films also optioned.

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “It Ends With Us” is a slow-building, redemptive 6 – now streaming on Netflix.

Susan Granger’s review of “The Six Triple Eight” (Netflix)

 

Like “Hidden Figures,” the 2016 film that heralded unsung Black female NASA mathematicians, “The Six Triple Eight” tells the true story of first and only Women’s Army Corps unit of color to serve overseas in World War II.

Led by 26 year-old Major Charity Adams (Kerry Washington), their mission was not only important but seemingly impossible: the 855 Black women were given just six months to sift through 17 million pieces of undelivered letters – to soldiers and from them – which had been dumped in canvas bags stored in numerous airplane hangars in Glasgow, Scotland.

 “No mail, low morale” was their mantra.

Their tale is told through the eyes of Pvt. Lena Derriecott King (Ebony Obsidian), a spirited Pennsylvania teenager who impulsively enlists in 1943 soon after her high-school boyfriend Abram David (Gregg Sulkin), a pilot, is killed in combat.

At that time, Black troops – both male and female – were segregated at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, and the women were shown little or no respect by the Caucasian officers – until activist/educator Mary McLeod Bethune (Oprah Winfrey) sought help from formidable First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt (Susan Sarandon).

Even then, after they were shipped overseas in 1945, the Black WACs were given no training and decrepit facilities in which to live and work. Their ruthlessly condescending Commanding Officer, General Halt (Dean Norris), is openly racist.

Nevertheless, utilizing inventive ways of sorting/identifying the backlog of mail, they got the job done in fewer than three months and proudly became known the 6888^th Central Postal Directory Battalion.

Helmed and co-written by Tyler Perry, who adapted it from historian Kevin Hymel’s 2019 article in WW II History Magazine, it’s compelling despite Perry’s pedantic dialogue and shamelessly manipulative direction, leading to the actors’ somewhat stiff, stilted performances.

During the end-credits, there are archival glimpses of the real-life WACs, including footage of Michelle Obama paying tribute to two of the survivors and acknowledgment that Fort Gregg-Adams was named for Charity Adams.

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Six Triple Eight” is an inspirational, historically significant 7, streaming on Netflix.

Susan Granger’s review of “Nightbitch” (Searchlight Pictures)

 

The concept of motherhood is changing. According to a recent Pew Research study, many young adults have decided not to have children – more women than men. They cite many practical reasons – like the environment and high cost of living – but, above all, for women, it’s all about the sacrifices they must make.

So it’s incredibly timely how Amy Adams’ new dark comedy “Nightbitch” captures both the happiness and horror of motherhood, along with the tedium of suburban domesticity.

Known for her sculptures and installations, Mother (Adams) was once an accomplished artist. Then along came Son (twins Arleigh Patrick & Emmett James Snowden). Mother dutifully stays home to tend Son while Husband (Scoot McNairy) goes off to work at a job that often takes him out of town.

“Happiness is a choice,” she’s told. But when you’re sleep-deprived/exhausted by being ‘on-call’ 24/7 to a demanding toddler, something’s gotta give insofar as sanity is concerned.

That’s when vulnerable Mother – fueled by anger at Husband – discovers that she’s growing feral, turning into a dog – a magnificent red husky – which doesn’t ultimately bode well for the family cat.

Based on Rachel Yoder’s bizarre 2021 novel, this feminist fable is adapted and directed by Marielle Heller (“Diary of a Teenage Girl,” “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”), who often punctuates Mother’s reactions with candid fantasy sequences – like in the grocery store when she rants at the former colleague who took her place at the art gallery or when she’s attending Book Babies sing-alongs at the library.

“I am deeply afraid that I am never going to be smart, or happy, or thin, ever again,” Mother confesses.

Bottom line: the plot examines what happens to a marriage when a modern couple slips into retro gender-defined roles. Inevitably, there’s a challenge and a showdown: 

“What happened to my curious, freewheeling wife?” bewildered Husband inquires. “She died in childbirth,” is harried, haggard Mother’s resentful reply.

On the Grange Gauge of 1 to 10, “Nightbitch” is a perceptively bitter, sardonic, surreal 7 – streaming on Hulu and Hulu through Disney+.  

‘Tis the season to rejoice over memories of your favorite Christmas movies – but where to stream them? Here’s a handy guide to where you can find your classic preferences, along with some eclectic oddities:

HBO MAX

“A Christmas Carol” (1938) – Reginald Owen is Scrooge

“A Christmas Story” (1983) – Ralphie wants a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas

“Elf” (2003) – Will Ferrell discovers he’s not really a North Pole elf.

“Four Christmases”

“Fred Claus”

“Gremlins” (1984)

“Jack Frost”

“Miracle on 34^th Street” (1947) – What happens when Kris Kingle becomes Macy’s Santa?

“National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” (1980) – frolic with the Griswold family

“The Polar Express” (2004) – animated

DISNEY+

“Home Alone” (1990) – An eight year-old his accidentally left behind on a family trip…plus “Home Alone 2” and “Home Alone 3”

“A Muppet Christmas Carol” (1992) – Michael Caine joins the Muppets

“Jingle All the Way” – Arnold Schwarzenegger is desperate for a Turbo Man action figure (it’s also on Amazon Prime and Hulu)

“Noelle”

“The Night Before Christmas” (1992) – Tim Burton/animated

“The Santa Clause” (1994)…plus two sequels

“I’ll Be Home for Christmas”

“Miracle on 34^th Street” – both the 1947 classic and the 1994 remake

AMAZON PRIME VIDEO:

“Bad Santa” (2003) – Billy Bob Thornton is hilarious as a demented mall Santa

“Arthur Christmas” (2011) – animated

“Christmas With the Kranks” (2004)

“Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas Is You” (2017)

“Surviving Christmas” (2004 comedy)

“Holiday Inn” (1942) – Bing Crosby introduces Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” & Fred Astaire dances

“White Christmas” (1954) – remake of “Holiday Inn” with Bing & Danny Kaye

“How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (2000) – Jim Carrey is the Grinch

“Love Actually” (2003) – romantic comedy with Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant

“Meet Me in St. Louis” (1944) – Judy Garland sings “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”

“It’s A Wonderful Life” (1946)- Jimmy Stewart in the most iconic holiday films

“Santa Claus Conquers the Martians” (1964) – sci-fi fantasy about kidnapping Santa Claus

“Scrooged” (1988) – a weird adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic with Bill Murray

“The Holdovers” (2023) – Paul Giamatti at a boarding school

“The Bells of St. Mary’s” (1945) – Bing Crosby & Ingrid Bergman

“The Lemon Drop Kid” (1951) – Bob Hope comedy introducing the song “Silver Bells”

NETFLIX:

“White Christmas” (1954) – remake of “Holiday Inn” with Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney

“The Holiday” (2006)

“A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas” (2011)

“A Very Murray Christmas” (1915) – Bill Murray is the center of a star-studded variety show

HULU

“A Christmas Carol”

“Christmas in Connecticut” (1945) – Barbara Stanwyck & Dennis Morgan

“Christmas With the Kranks”

“Happiest Season”

“Deck the Hall”

“The Mistle-Tones”

“The Family Stone”

“Jingle All the Way”

“The Holiday”

“The Man Who Invented Christmas”

APPLE TV+

“A Charlie Brown Christmas” (1965) – Emmy/Peabody-winning Charles Schultz’s short

PEACOCK

“Die Hard” (1988) – Bruce Willis action thriller (also shown on AMC+)

“How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (1966) – animated

“Better Watch Out” (2016)

“My Santa” (2013)

AMC+

“Die Hard” (1988) – Bruce Willis action thriller (also shown on Peacock)

“Scrooge” (1951) – Alastair Sim is absolutely wicked as Scrooge

TUBI & YouTube

“The Bells of St. Mary’s” (1945) – Bring Crosby & Ingrid Bergman save a parish school

“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer & Island of Misfit Toys” (2001) – animated