Dark Waters has it's heard in the right place but it's lacking as a drama

Todd Haynes's Dark Water (2019) is one in a long line of movies about crusading lawyers taking on the evils of the corporate world - Erin Brocovitch and A Civil Action as 2 of the classics; also the TV series Damages, q.v.) - some more successfully than others. Though this film's heart is in the right place - and it's based on true events, as told in a magazine article from Nathanial Rich, it suffers from one major problem: There's no tension and no surprise and little to no evolution of character. We know from the start that the film is about polluted land and water, and there's no question as to who's responsible: Dupont Chemicals. The story line entails the struggles of a young corporate lawyer, played by Mark Ruffalo, to take on Dupont, for which he has to discover exactly what chemical(s) polluted the groundwater and precisely what these chemical do to people and how and when Dupont became aware of the dangers. This process involves tedious legal research, and that just is not enough to give a movie any gas. To a degree, Ruffalo's character changes over the course of the film - he starts off as a newly minted partner in a big corporate firm who encounters lots of resistance from other partners as he takes on this potential class-action suit (What are we? Ambulance chasers?), and in fact the firm had hoped to lure Dupont as a client - but not enough is made of this conflict, as the voices of opposition are pathetic and the head of the firm comes around to Ruffalo's side pretty easily. If this were a fiction rather than fact-based, it might have been good to see R leave the firm and take the case on his own, w/ consequences to follow. But as it stands, the film feels flat and the conclusion inevitable. That said, MR does good job w/ what he's got, and you've got to root for him throughout, he's so clearly in the right facing off against those clearly in the wrong. But all told the movie would have been stronger if it were a bit more subtle: the swelling crescendos from the score toward the conclusion were way over the top, for example. The drama should be enough to stand on its own at that point.

Queen & Slim is much more than just another fugitive film

Melina Matsoukas's Queen & Slim (2019) is on the surface another fugitive film - a direct descendant of Bonnie and Clyde - and it may remind some, as it reminded me, of the Australian series Wanted, about two women, neither w/ a record and character opposites, forced into a cross-country (and cross-ocean) flight from police pursuit. But what sets Q&S apart from the many other films in this mini-genre is its political awareness and of-the-moment topicality. In short, this film is about an African-American couple on their first date, and seeming to be polar opposites (she, a career-conscious criminal-defense lawyer and he a more laid-back and aimless but sweet guy), who get stopped by a racist cop with fatal consequences, sending them on the run, from Cleveland to New Orleans (where her uncle lives) and beyond. In the course of their flight they become nationwide figures and for man (but not all) blacks a symbol of resistance to police brutality and figureheads for the Black Lives Matter movement. One of the man strengths of this film is ambiguity of Lena Waithe's screenplay: the fleeing couple (Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie Turner-Smith) find both support and antagonist; some of the white people they meet are helpful and sympathetic, others not; ditto, for the black people they come across. The film is nicely paced, holding everyone's interest right to the end I would think, and quite beautiful photographed and designed, and even gets props for an original score (Devonte Hynes), combining classical and avant-garde tonalities. For all its familiarity, as well as some required suspension of disbelief (is such an escape really possible?), the film is quite compelling as a drama and, in the end, moving and provocative as well.

Ford v Ferrari is not just for gearheads

James Mangold's Ford v Ferrri is one of those better-than-expected movies, not just for gearheads, though gearheads will probably get much more out of it than I could. The basic story line, based on the real-life achievements of the 2 leads, follows Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) and Ken Miles (Christian Bale) as they develop a race car for Ford Motor Co. to take on the Ferrari juggernaut as Le Mans in 1966. The movie is not subtle in the least: the "heavies" (the Ferrari snobs, the Ford Motor Co. management flunkies) are hateful and the heroes (Damon, Bale, the pit crew) are heroic. The attempts to make this story more "human" and to appeal to a wider audience - many cutouts to Bale's wife and young son - are pointless and unneeded. The story line is good enough and the race sequences are great; for anyone, like me I guess, who's wondered what's so athletic about race-car driving, you just floor it and steer around an oval track, FvF lets you know and feel what it must be like to drive in these competitions. There are a few powerful off-track scenes as well: Bale's wife driving aggressively in her station wagon, Henry Ford II bursting into tears after a quick test dive w/ Damon, Enzo Ferrari telling Ford to FOff while rejecting their buyout offer. Other scenes in my view were not so great, notably the Damon's maniacal driving on LA streets - lucky he didn't kill innocent passengers of pedestrians and a bad and immature image for this mostly good film to promote. All told, though, the film is informative about the car-race culture and about the auto industry and you can't help but root for the good guys.

The Top Ten (new or first season) Miniseries I Watched in 2019

As with just about everyone else, my viewing habits and preferences have shifted gradually away from movies (and movie theaters) and ever more toward streaming miniseries, which offer so many great opportunities to develop character, plot, and milieu over the course of multiple episodes and multiple seasons. Plus, they're so accessible. Here is the list, arranged alphabetically of the Top 10 (New or first season) Miniseries I Watched in 2019:

A French Village (2009). The first (of 9) seasons newly available this year on Prime, this completely engrossing and often frightening drama brings us into a small and seemingly typical village in rural France, not far from the Swiss border, at the outset of the Occupation (1940) and presumably in subsequent seasons taking us through the course of the War and its aftermath.

Chernobyl (2019): Most of us probably have no idea of the magnitude of the catastrophe of the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl nor of how it could have been even more serious and disastrous but for the brave actions of a few scientists and many other workers at or near the plan; this HBO 4-part miniseries does a great job bringing the tension of days during and after the meltdown to light. 

Criminal (2019). This 12-part series from Netflix is a terrific project of high ambition, which consists of four sets of three dramas, each set from a different European country and using the same parameters: a 40-minute police interrogation of a suspect in a tightly confined setting. 

Escape at Dannemora (2019). This Ben Stiller-directed 7-episode miniseries from Showtime is a terrific prison movie, based closely the famous prison breakout in a remote New York locale, with exceptionally strong performances not only by the leads - Patricia Arquett, Benicio del Toro, and Paul Dana - but also from just about all of the secondary players.

Les Miserables (2018). This 6-part BBC/PBS English-language miniseries of Hugo's novel (2018) does a fine job presenting the highlights of the sinuous narrative, cutting this enormous text down to a fairly simple period piece, love story, and melodrama that follows the course of the eventful life of Jean Valjean (Dominic West).

Made in Heaven (2019). This Indian 9-episode series on Prime about a team of wedding planners who cater to the wealthiest of Delhi society at first seems as if it's an escapee from the Bravo channel, but we quickly see that it's far more than a lifestyles of the rich fantasy indulgence: There's a terrific and compelling through story that makes us think of the class structure in India and all that it still entails.

Mrs. Wilson (2018). This surprisingly good 3-part series on PBS depicts events are so odd that we wouldn't believe them in a fictional narrative - but the series depicts actual events in the life of the grandmother of the star of the show, Rita Wilson; the series moves gracefully across a few time spans, gradually filling in the picture of an entire life, it will keep you thinking and guessing and wondering right to the startling closing sequence.

Succession (2019). This 10-part HBO series portrays a dysfunctional, uber-wealthy. loathsome family, based loosely, or maybe not so loosely, on the Murdoch clan and its right-wing media empire; this show is well written and well acted by a large ensemble, each family member with a distinct personality and neuroses.

The Honourable Woman (2014). This series (for rent only) has to rank as one of the most intelligent and best-acted shows I've seen recently, a totally gripping story start to finish about a sister (Maggie Gylenhall, doing a fantastic job and rocking an English accent) and her brother who have taken over a huge family business and charitable organization dedicated to bringing about peace and understanding between Israel and Palestine. Good luck!

Unbelievable (2019). This Netflix 8-part series, based closely on true events that took place in Colorado and Washington in 2008-11, depicts the pursuit and capture of a serial rapist (and the horrifying treatment by male police officers that some of the rape victims endured); the two lead detectives are played brilliantly by Merritt Wever and Toni Collette. 

Tom Hanks's great performance makes the movie well worth watching

Tom Hanks's performance in Marielle Heller's Fred Rogers biopic, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019), is a sure-bet Oscar nomination (supporting actor) for his uncanny portrayal of the children's TV hero. The movie shines in every scene with Hanks, as he captures not only FR's well-known cadences and quirky mannerisms but the offscreen Rogers as well - who, delightedly, has just the same patience, wisdom, and modesty - as well as a connection with children and adults. The plot such as it is concerns an Esquire writer (played by Matthew Rhys) assigned, against his will, to write a brief profile of FR - who immediately senses that Rhys is a troubled young man and leads him, gently, into a discussion about his "feelings" about his difficult, sometimes abusive father - leading, of course, to a feel-good conclusion. The scenes in which Rhys tries to interview FR (the plot is based on an actual Esquire story by Tom Junod) and in which FR deftly sidesteps questions and focuses laser-like on Rhys are great; ditto, the scenes in which we see FR on the set, especially the touching scene when he gets down on one knee to speak w/ a child visiting from a hospital. Less successful are the father-son scenes w/ Rhys and Chris Cooper; I never bought into the utter transformation of Dad and the pat resolution of the family crises, but so be it - sure the movie could have been 20 minutes shorter and could have ended on a more ambiguous note rather than on hosannas, but still worth watching for TH's performance and for some wonder, tender moments of insight into the lives and minds of children and of the adults, or one adult anyway, who had a unique connection to the feelings and emotions of the very young.

The Top Ten Movies I Watched in 2019

A mixture of new and classic, narrative and documentary, here is my list of the Top Ten Movies I Watched in 2019 (listed alphabetically):

American Factory (2019). Julia Richert and Steven Bognar provide a fantastic look at a clash of cultures and how that affects the American workplace in the post-industrial era; this documentary is much better and more powerful than its understated title would suggest - it's full of drama, conflict, surprises, ideas, and just plain weirdness.

Bitter Rice (1949). Giuseppe De Santis's movie, about the women who work at the annual rice harvest and planting in the wet fields in northern Italy, is a classic in every sense. It stands up to anything else from its era as both a social document and a powerful drama (or melodrama).

A Brighter Summer Day (1991). This terrific movie by the late Taiwanese director Edward Yang examines the lives of several teenagers in Taiwan in 1960, about 10 years after their families fled  mainland China and Mao's revolution to settle in Formosa. Today, Yang would probably have developed this 4-hour movie as a mini-series.(Bonus points: Check out Yang's even greater movie, Yi Yi)

Cold War (2018). Pawel Pawlikowsky's film from Poland is a great story of doomed lovers and their tempestuous relationship that plays out in a series of episodes across a 20-year time span; we see the struggles to build a life and a career in music and to be true to one's self not just against a wave of commercial pressures but against political pressures that can shut you off completely - or lock you up.

Il Posto (1961). This Italian (Milanese) film, written and directed by Ermanno Olmi, is another one of the somewhat unappreciated neo-realist works (this one filmed with no professional actors) that made Italian postwar cinema so great, tells of a teenage boy in a working-class family pressured to apply for a coveted white-collar job in a large unnamed company - a job he doesn't really want.

A Midsummer Night's Dream (2018). This highly inventive, contemporary-LA take on Shakespeare by writer-director Casey Wilder Mott is eccentric and fast-paced, as much fun to watch as just about any production of a Shakespeare comedy that I've seen on film.

Once Upon a Time in ... Hollywood (2019). Quentin Tarantino's 1969-set film is, among other things, a whole lot of fun to watch, start to finish: a really good "buddy movie" starring two industry mega-stars, with DeCaprio as a nearly washed up star in TV Westerns and Pitt as his driver and gopher; a send-up of many mid-century movie styles and trends; and a really cool inside look at the process of movie-making, and who's not interested in that?

Ordet (1955). This film, set on a small Danish farm in 1925, is strange even for Carl Th. Dreyer: long close-ups, many slow panning shots, mannered and extremely slow and deliberate dialog, beautiful lighting so that each shot could be a still or portrait in the style of a Rembrandt or Vermeer, and unforgettable segments such as the botched delivery scene and the weirdness of a young man who wanders in and out of various scenes murmuring scripture. (Bonus points: Compare with Dreyer's Day of Wrath)

Three Identical Strangers (2018). Tim Wardle's documentary starts off as if it's going to be a feel-good story about triplets separated at (actually, six months after) birth who discover one another through a series of chance encounters when they're about 20 years old, but this movie gets darker and darker and becomes a serious examination of medical ethics, as we learn that the three boys, unbeknownst to them, had been part of a vast (and as yet unpublished) medical experiment.

Tokyo Story(1953). It's pretty much impossible to over-praise Yasujiro Ozu's film, a seemingly simple tale about an elderly couple who travel to Tokyo to visit their children, in what perhaps will be their last such visit; despite the father's flaws and mis-doings, it's impossible not to feel empathy for this couple, who are treated abominably by their children (an indication of the seismic shifts taking place in postwar family life) and truly welcomed only by their war-widowed daughter-in-law, who is both saintly and deeply troubled. (Bonus points: See Ozu's final film, Late Autumn)

A Soviet film from the 1920s with no evident reference to ideology

A brief note on a brief (30 minutes) film, a Soviet film from the silent era (the 1920s) called Chess Fever, remarkable in that I for one cannot find any reference to Soviet workers, agriculture, manufacturing, or military might. It's just a light-hearted look at the Russian fixation on chess, imagining if you will a world in which people follow chess with the ferocity that we today associate with football, soccer, or - in past decades - horse racing and professional boxing. The center of the film is a young man so obsessed with plotting out chess moves that he misses a date with his fiancee, who follows by kicking him out of her life. He's distraught - and as he wanders the snow-choked city we see a few (somewhat) amusing scenes: people walk the streets looking at newspaper printouts of chess boards, a policeman arrests a suspect but lets him go when they realize they both are chess-nuts, people see black/white squares of floor tile and begin to play chess on them, and so forth. The young man eventually gets to a bridge overlooking a rushing river, considers suicide, but instead throws his pocket-sized chess board into the waters and returns to his fiancee, ready to pledge that he's given up the game. But she has now become a fanatic! They find a small chess board, and everyone's happy. This short, showing now at MOMA in NYC, has been compared with Chaplain or Keaton short films; that's quite an over-reach, but it's an interesting curiosity - the kind of film that appeared from time to time in the early years (Vertov, e.g.) but would probably later be condemned as anti-Soviet, for its satiric look at many working-class people and for offering no positive (i.e., in keeping with the current Orthodoxy) resolution.