Directed by James Mangold This is both exhilarating and frustrating. Ford v Ferrari can be extremely fun, but it's so simplistic in ways that feel like something is missing or actively covered up. It's a movie with clear heroes and villains, antagonists that are unnaturally unlikeable (outside of Hollywood movies) and slimy. They exist to be … Continue reading Ford v Ferrari (2019)
biopic
Rocketman (2019)
Directed by Dexter Fletcher It's hard not to compare Rocketman to last year's Bohemian Rhapsody. Both movies follow a fairly standard biopic formula in depicting the rise, fall and rise of a celebrated English star, both who happened to cross paths with the apparently devious John Reid. Director Dexter Fletcher even had a hand in guiding the Bohemian … Continue reading Rocketman (2019)
Vice (2018)
Directed by Adam McKay Okay, so a biopic can frame its subject in two ways, it seems: First is a traditional start to finish marathon, starting with the subject's youth and charting their rise until we get to the end. The second is a more narrow focus of an important moment in the subject's life, … Continue reading Vice (2018)
Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)
Directed (for some reason) by Bryan Singer Bohemian Rhapsody took a long time to get to the screen, mostly due, from what I can tell, to the push and pull between those who wanted to examine the true story behind Freddie Mercury and the band and those who sought to maintain a certain mystique to … Continue reading Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)
Blaze (2018)
Directed by Ethan Hawke Blaze is a biopic about a musician not many people have heard of. In interviews Ethan Hawke has explained how the life of Blaze Foley is a lens through which to view anonymity and, in particular, artists who never "make it" in the conventional sense. Blaze Foley's (Ben Dickey) story is … Continue reading Blaze (2018)
Man on the Moon (1999) / Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond (2017)
Directed by Milos Forman, Chris Smith Man on the Moon is a well-made, if familiar biopic about a fascinating comedian, Andy Kaufman. Jim & Andy is an engaging documentary about Jim Carrey during the production of Man on the Moon, and if watched together it helps you see the profundity behind the 1999 biopic. The film is … Continue reading Man on the Moon (1999) / Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond (2017)
Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (2018)
Directed by Morgan Neville I have a running list of movies that make me cry, and you can add Won't You Be My Neighbor to that list. It's not an outright tearjerker, but there are moments clearly meant to tug on your heart strings, and they certainly do. That shouldn't surprise you. This documentary about the very … Continue reading Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (2018)
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