To celebrate the departure of 2020 and to break the usual routine, the Chief Penguin and I indulged in several films. Then we continued our practice of watching one of several series in the evening. We began Thursday, Friday and Saturday with what we called Morning Movie Madness—a feature length film viewed after breakfast and after our sometimes morning walk.
FILMS
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)
Set in Chicago in 1927 during a studio recording session, this play by August Wilson focuses on Ma Rainey’s band members, and the anger, disappointment, and rage they experience as Black men in a white world. One man is philosophical and still dreams, while another seethes. Young Levee, a talented and conceited trumpeter, has ambition, but depths of resentment that erupt abruptly.
Chadwick Boseman is brilliant as Levee in his last performance, while Viola Davis is superb as Ma Rainey. Although the setting is a recording session, there is little music and lots of conversation. A serious play with relevance for today.
Mank (Netflix)
This is a dense film full of flashbacks. It’s based on screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz’s labored writing of the script for what became Citizen Kane, released in 1941. Orson Welles produced, starred in and directed that film and also received partial credit for its writing. Kane, the character, is a composite of several moguls including William Randolph Hearst.
Hearst, Louis Mayer, and Irving Thalberg are all characters in Mank, and this film lays bare the nasty politics and smear tactics employed by movie studios in the 1930’s. I didn’t love this film, but appreciated the cinematography (shot in black and white) and afterwards, sorted out the sequence of events. The Chief Penguin thought it was superb and considers it a strong Oscar contender.
On the Rocks (Apple +)
A full-page ad in the newspaper led me to this film by Sofia Coppola. Laura, a young mother and writer, is stuck and feels unappreciated and ignored by her busy husband. Her playboy father, played by Bill Murray, is lonely and wants attention. He encourages Laura’s worries and, wondering if his son-in-law is having an affair, involves his daughter in all sorts of tracking adventures. It’s light fare and lightweight. I’d call it just fair overall.
SERIES OFFERINGS
Murder in Manhattan
The Undoing (HBO) 6 episodes
Thanks to Cynthia for recommending this crime thriller. It’s on HBO, but you can purchase it without becoming an HBO subscriber.
When Elena, the mother of an elementary student at a posh private school is murdered, suspicion falls upon oncologist Jonathan Fraser and his therapist wife Grace. Their son Henry is a classmate of Elena’s son. The series focuses on the Fraser family including Grace’s wealthy father (Donald Sutherland). Did Jonathan commit the murder? Can his brilliant lawyer save him? Hugh Grant and Nicole Kidman play the lead roles. I found it suspenseful and enjoyed the acting along with street scenes I recognized.
Marriage Mart in Regency England
Bridgerton (Netflix) 6 episodes
Using the romance novels of Julia Quinn as a jumping off point, Shonda Rhimes has created a series that is fun, frothy at times, bold, and always sexy with plenty of skin. She has updated the hunt for an eligible male with a racially diverse cast (the real Queen Charlotte may have been mixed race!) and incorporated contemporary songs played in a classical style. Randy men (rakes, some) indulge in the pleasures of the flesh while young women are expected to remain untouched and virginal until their wedding nights.
The focus is on Daphne Bridgerton of a prominent family and Simon Basset, the enigmatic Duke of Hastings, who has just returned to London. Simon has vowed to never marry, and Daphne wants only to marry for love. Together, they pretend to be attracted to one another to ward off suitors and ambitious mothers. Daphne and her nerdy sister Eloise push back against society’s expectations. Eloise and another Bridgerton sibling even share a cigarette in the garden!
The costumes are gorgeous and the ballrooms elegant, while Lady Whistledown’s scandal sheet is brought to life and wit with voiceover by Julie Andrews. Overall, it is a definite change of pace from more staid historical dramas!
Header image is Viola Davis as Ma Rainey (okayplayer.com)
