Licorice Pizza

Licorice Pizza has a secret. It’s always there, like a ghost lurking in the shadows and in the periphery. It informs every second and every frame of the movie. And every once in a while, PT Anderson et al show you the secret for a NANOSECOND, and then happily and skillfully steer you away to another episode of frivolity, during which the main kids, muy autentica, try as hard as they can NOT to fall in love. It’s a real struggle! And on 70mm film, it’s beautiful. It’s a sugary-sweet time-capsule about a magical world where age and maturity and “dateable readiness” is fluid. It’s almost impossible to view this from a modern-day, “me too” lens, and I don’t recommend you do, because it might be a little problematic. The movie tries to trick you into putting away your modern-day sensibilities and bask in the warm glow of a magic hour in the summer of 1974, when pinball machines became legal again and when the girls and the guys fell in love. It works, if you try not to think about that secret.

The House of Gucci

The characters in The House of Gucci say the word “Gucci” a lot. Lady Gaga, who’s pretty good as a Gucci, probably says Gucci the most. Adam Driver, who plays another Gucci, is probably the second most frequent Gucci character to say Gucci. But other Guccis say Gucci a lot, too. Like the Gucci played by Al Pacino. Or the Gucci-ing Gucci played by Jeremy Irons. Jared Leto, who plays the Gucciest Gucci, waves his arms and hands around a lot when he says Gucci. Leto is so Gucci that he’s the GUCCI Gucci. He Guccis way more than other Guccis, which is a lot of Gucci, let me tell ya. It’s hard to know how much of this Gucci movie is based on the real Guccis, versus the Gucci dramatic license of the Guccis and Gucci. The bottom line is: Guccis Gucci. And when Guccis Gucci, other Guccis Gucci in reply. It’s a Gucci-off. Who will be the greatest Gucci??  There’s a lot of Gucci-ing in The House of Gucci. Sir Ridley reveals all things Gucci with Gucci aplomb. Gucci Gucci, Gucci Gucci.

Spencer

 😐🤢🤮

The Power of the Dog

**  SPOILERS **

I wanted to like this Jane Campion, dusty cowboy melodrama a lot more than I did. It has everything going for it. A great cast, beautiful scenery, top-notch sets and designs. I regret to say it, but there were several times during the show that I thought, “Why am I watching this?” My back started to hurt, which is always a bad sign. It’s one of those movies where the main character has a secret. If you’re paying attention, you can figure out the secret, but otherwise you’re waiting for the character to reveal the secret. And it takes a while. I think this kind of story convention works better in a novel. Lots of people, better than I am, will probably like this. But I just found it shrug-worthy.

Reds

I’m sure at the time Warren Beatty was praised for putting on a big David Lean-like epic with all the trains and extras and running time that involves. He bit off a lot here and you have to admire him for that. But it feels kind of pointless and sad. Very 70’s, although released in ’81. The interviews with the real people reminiscing was probably very groundbreaking at the time, but it doesn’t really reveal that much about the subjects, who seem epically misguided.

The French Dispatch

Wes Anderson and a cast of thousands goof off in this very goofy tribute to a goofy newspaper in France in the olden days. Everything is goofy. The clothes are goofy, the hair is goofy, the performances are goofy. It's perfectly, immaculately filmed goofiness. Everyone is goofing off and it looks like they had a great time. We laughed all the way through this as Wes Anderson et al, more than anything, take the piss out of themselves and their goofy personas.

Dune

If you really want to distill this down into a basic premise, it would be, “A dude goes on an adventure with his Mom.” But filmmakers bring care and technique to every aspect of this. It’s beautiful. Denis Villeneuve et al go full HAM on the world-building, and it often feels like you’ve started the movie in the middle and you have to catch up. Seeing it twice is almost required, just to figure out the rules and who everybody is. And by everybody, I mean a cast filled with international stars and various superheroes. It’s A-list, and there’s no bad performance. Above all else, I appreciate filmmakers who love movies, and regard the artform with unalloyed enthusiasm. It’s a joy to behold in IMAX, despite the book-to-movie adaptation vagueness. Maybe catch it again on HBO to clear up any confusions? I expect there will be lots and lots of kudos. Also, it’s only a first chapter. We know who the hero is, soon we get to find out what he wants.