SOMETHING WICKED EPIC THIS WAY COMES: My Quick Review of Jon M. Chu's WICKED

 I used to be one of the annoying Theatre Kids that are often made fun of as being a bit melodramatic and a bit full of themselves. Maybe I was a bit subdued but the signs of that were there.

I think what made me stand out compared to some is that I had more of a true pretentious vibe...which anybody who has known me for years or has read this blog knows I tend to be someone who flaunts films and other entertainment projects that are indie or foreign or simply a bit niche. 

I had just turned 15 when Wicked opened on Broadway in 2003...and eventually, I would see it a couple of years later with Eden Espinosa and Megan Hilty in the leading roles. My response to the musical at the time surprised me because I had actually LIKED it...although it was a tempered admiration. 

I would listen to the cast recording but for every song I really loved, there were other songs that left me feeling underwhelmed. Honestly, it is pretty on brand for a Stephen Schwartz score in that regard. 

As a whole show, I ended up not remembering specific plot details in the nearly 20 years since I had seen it done live, but what I did know is that as a piece of entertainment, it offered juicy roles for two women in that one gets to frequently belt her ass off while the other arguably gets an amazing character arc that is rather effective.

When I heard that Wicked was going to be split into two parts as a film, I was very skeptical of this. The actual Broadway production runs roughly 2 hours and 45 minutes including a 15-minute intermission.

Then it was announced that part one all by itself would be 2 hours and 40 minutes long. 

I was simply gob smacked by that. WHY drag it out more than it needs to be?! Is it even necessary?!

Once the reviews started coming out, the response seemed practically bursting with joy at what was achieved onscreen...and even more surprisingly, the running time was deemed perfectly justified and the effort made by Chu and his team was seen as a resounding success.

The film wasn't without its detractors, just like any piece of entertainment, but the vitriol thrown at those who didn't respond to the movie with anything less than swift praise became rather amusing to me. However, I did have to wonder...will the snob in me persist? Will I end up leaving the theatre wondering why this is being called by some of one of the greatest movie musicals ever made?

I ended up leaving the theatre with this statement in my head: 

Wicked is one of the greatest movie musicals ever made.

I am not saying it is perfect or even necessarily a masterpiece, but what John M. Chu achieved here is nothing short of a stunning effort. This was a movie that was clearly created with a lot of love and passion for the material and for the entire lore that is held for Oz as an artistic property. 

The long running time wasn't even that felt by me. In fact, it honestly helped strengthen a lot of the story beats and gave them time to breathe...particularly seeing the growth of Elphaba and Glinda's relationship. 

However...this is a movie that truly gives us a sweeping definitive take on the Land of Oz. From the very first moments when the "good news" that Elphaba is dead is spread throughout Oz and we hear the epic opening notes of "No One Mourns the Wicked", you are truly thrust into this world with absolute force.

In fact, the whole opening, complete with a stark relation to British Folk Horror films (you will know it when you see it), is marvelously done...but frankly a lot of the film can be described as that. It is simply in many ways the greatest film of this material we could possibly get. 

As our two leads, Cynthia Ervio and Ariana Grande do not disappoint. These two are on the top of their game and they manage to make an absolute meal out of these two roles which have been so indelibly linked to Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth. The rest of the ensemble is up to task, but I did especially love Bowen Yang and Bronwyn James as Pfannee and Shenshen, the two catty friends of Glinda who would give the girls from The Plastics a run for their money. 

But I think for me in the grand scheme, I kept focusing a lot on how the film was treating the material with its extended run time. I do think this practice, along with utilizing CGI in creating a realistic depiction of Peter Dinklage as Dr. Dillamond, helped give more weight to the Animal Rights aspect of the story which doesn't hit as strongly onstage seeing a man in prosthetics play the role and have it come across as awkward and mildly funny whereas it does pack more of a punch in the film. 

This is going to be a very short review, if I am being honest...but I did just want to express SOMETHING about the film. Beyond everything I said above, I will leave you with this.

"Defying Gravity" has become known as one of the all-time legendary act-one closers in musical theatre...and while it is certainly effective onstage, there are only so many things you can achieve while staging blocking at the Gershwin Theater. 

Film does allow for so much in terms of spectacle and while that may not always be what is needed to make a film work, I think a film like Wicked benefits from this...and the final moments with "Defying Gravity" were absolutely glorious.

I think I had chills for pretty much that entire sequence and even began to get misty eyed because I was so overwhelmed by how epically this song was being presented. Somehow, they managed to exceed my expectations and then some with a lot of the film...but then that ending came and I seriously thought it was one of the most thrilling things I had ever seen onscreen. 

With film, the possibilities are...say it with me...unlimited. 

Jon M. Chu and his creative team definitely got that memo.

WICKED RATING: 9/10 

I SING THE BODY HORROR: My Review of Coralie Fargeat's THE SUBSTANCE

*SPOILERS AND KEY PLOT POINTS WILL BE DISCUSSED*

There are times I sit down to write a review, and my thoughts are pretty easy to pin down. I would argue my recent review of SATURDAY NIGHT is a prime example of this. 

This is NOT one of those times.

I feel like The Substance just appeared out of nowhere earlier this year when it made quite the splash at the Cannes Film Festival where it netted a win for its writer/director Coralie Fargeat in the Screenplay competition.

When it made its eventual US premiere back in September, the response was simultaneously rapturous and revolting...which is about what one might expect for a body horror film. However, what made a lot of this buzz very interesting to follow was that it seemed to be the next entry in the "Can This Horror Film Get Nominated for Awards?" discussion that has seemed to happen every year since Toni Collette got unfairly shafted for her work in Ari Aster's brutal horror drama Hereditary during the 2019 award season.

While it is still early...at least in case from what I have seen so far...2024 is shaping up to be a rather meager year for film, and this isn't a surprise. I sort of feel like I expected a dip after the 2023 Writers Strike, but it also just feels especially jarring considering 2023 shaped up to be one of my favorite years for film of this century so far. 

While this question will age poorly depending on the outcome, one has to wonder: can The Substance actually break into the awards race in several major categories?

There seems to be a pretty obvious divide with this opinion with some thinking it'll actually slip into the Picture, Actress, Screenplay races along with a couple of tech categories while some think it'll be lucky to just get the Makeup/Hairstyling nomination.

If I were to make the prediction now, I think that it will actually score a couple of those major nominations based on enough of the passion the film has...but it'll be interesting to see how it pans out considering very, very, very, very few horror films get nominated for Best Picture...let alone one that is a rather graphic body horror film. 

Does that mean I love the film personally?

Honestly, I wouldn't say I loved it...but I am not sure if it is an easy movie to love. Although, I love the idea of it being embraced with nominations because this is a movie that took big, bold chances addressing issues that are clearly a huge problem for women not just in Hollywood, but in general...and I would argue that despite some quibbles, Fargeat created a truly vibrant, shocking, graphic experience here.

This is a film that lacks subtlety, and at times, that did pull me out of it in ways I wish it didn't...and while this may seem like a drastic comparison, it sort of reminded me of Don't Look Up.

Before some of you get very angry at that comment, I will say The Substance was certainly better than Don't Look Up, which I did like to some degree, but that was a film that opted for pushing its message forward with the subtlety of a sledgehammer to the face. Comedically though, it worked well a lot of the time in that film, and it made the final act all the more poignant. It also served to respond to how little people seemed to respond to the insanity of what was happening around them...and in that film's case, it was the clear end of the world that was upon them and the clear Trump team parallels that led the charge with their obtuseness.

Here, Fargeat takes the idea of a woman being pushed to the brink because she is being told she is too old and dated in style and presents in ways that are at times cartoonish and campy, but also horrific and tragic.

The protagonist is Elisabeth Sparkle, played by Demi Moore, who is a fading Hollywood movie star who...strangely...hosts a primetime fitness show because THAT would actually happen. She is fired by her producer Harvey (Dennis Quaid) over a lunch where he sloppily eats shrimp and has the inner depth of a sidewalk puddle. Being named Harvey is another clear blunt example of Fargeat going for the obvious, but hey...a shallow character may as well be treated with no real care. 

When Elisabeth leaves to go home, she notices a billboard of hers being promptly torn down and her distraction leads to a pretty brutal car accident. Miraculously, she seems to have survived it fairly unscathed but is clearly distraught. The young nurse in the room waits for the doctor to leave and he proceeds to check her spine. After cryptically telling her she would be a perfect candidate, he slips her a flash drive advertising a black-market serum called "The Substance", which promises a "younger, more beautiful, more perfect" version of oneself. 

This product has clear warnings/guidelines to follow, just as if one were caring for a Mogwai. Once you create the younger version of yourself, you must live your existence as both because in the end, you are one and the same. You will live one week as younger you and the next week as the original you, rinse and repeat. NO EXCEPTIONS! If you hold out longer than the allotted time, there will be consequences. You can also only create one "perfect" you, so the serum cannot be used again following the first input. 

Elisabeth injects the serum, collapses to the floor with convulsions, and essentially births her perfect younger self from a slit formed right at her spine. And thus, we get Sue, played by Margaret Qualley.

Her first assignment is to answer the casting call that from the paper that announced that the search for the new Elisabeth Sparkle is underway...with the caveat that she must be within the age range of 18-30.

As we expect, she singlehandedly impresses Harvey and his gaggle of sleazy cads to land the gig, proving that she was always the right one for the job, but now seemingly has the youth to seem worthy of the gig.

As expected though, the inner demons of Elisabeth cause her to battle herself but the message from the guy from "The Substance" is clear: this is all her own doing. Sue is Elisabeth/Elisabeth is Sue. And that is when the film begins to progress down its more abstract and darker path.

As a queer man, I do hear a lot about and have even felt a certain uneasiness with growing older...but at the same time, I also find myself wholly embracing it. This is why as a man, especially a cis white man, I know that I have no authority to speak on this experience because I can clearly see from the outside that what women are put through in pretty much every aspect, Hollywood or not, is atrocious.

We are a watching a woman being so desperate to hold onto everything she knows and her youth that she goes deep into an old warehouse to retrieve a serum that she truly knows nothing about and then injects it inside of her. 

This is where I think Demi Moore excels because she truly makes us believe this journey, even if it is clearly heightened to an almost cartoonish satirical level. 

Moore has never been nominated for an Oscar, and has only ever had a couple of nominations from organizations like the Golden Globes, but I would say she could very well find herself making the list this year. Considering the fine lines she has to stomp down, I love how much she embraced this role with complete abandon. In many ways, you could argue how this role progresses leads her into the "hagsplotation" area that was created by Bette Davis in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?

Moore is tragic, angry, passionate, fiery, hilarious, and horrific...and I hope that she will get the attention she deserves. Also - she looks absolutely fantastic and it only further proves how asinine the treatment of women is in the Hollywood system.

Then we have Margaret Qualley and much like Moore, she has charisma that simply sparks off the screen and, I have to admit, she looks totally hot in this role. Fargeat clearly filmed a lot of Qualley's scenes as if it were she exploiting her in a "male gaze" manner and it is absolutely affective. You could even argue that her Sue is the film's "villain" but that is where the whole idea of this narrative is fascinating because she is still Elisabeth in the end.

I do think the film does drag a bit and could've used an edit, especially during the final 45 minutes or so, but within that final act, the film pretty much goes HARD.  The practical effects used on Moore and Qualley are magnificent. I can't speak for the upcoming Nosferatu as I have not seen it and the early reviews say the makeup is exceptional in it...but if there is any justice, The Substance will win that category. 

I have battled with a lot of inner thoughts about this film, not certain if I loved it or found it to be too abrasive in the wrong ways. I won't say that I loved it necessarily or say that it is a masterpiece, but I do highly admire what Fargeat achieved here. 

It is gross, it is unnerving, it is campy, it is tragic...and it is also highly vibrant and stylish, and even reminiscent over classic horror films...particularly The Shining and a lot of the Kubrick style cinematography/aesthetics. 

Maybe I would've appreciated a little more digging into the characters, but alas, I think Fargeat deserves to be commended here and I am definitely curious to see what she comes up with next.

THE SUBSTANCE

RATING: 7.5/10

Written from New York, It's My Review of Jason Reitman's SATURDAY NIGHT!

 I have posted content about SNL on my blog over the last few years ranging from discussing my 20 Favorite Sketches (I need to re-edit that post, but feel free to look regardless!) to talking about the troubled history of original cast member Garrett Morris (which will come into play in this review), and my episode-by-episode reviews of the infamous 6th season which is still a work-in-progress.

Needless to say, I do have an interest in SNL but I find my love of it to also be highly tumultuous. This isn't exactly an uncommon opinion from those who have been avid watchers of the long running variety series which, as of this writing, is currently in the midst of its 50th season. 

In my childhood, I really enjoyed watching the old "Best Of" specials ranging from cast members like Eddie Murphy and Gilda Radner or sketch-based specials like SNL Goes Commercial. I began watching SNL first run in the mid-to-late 90s with the cast that included Will Ferrell and Molly Shannon. Since then, I have seen the show truly have some high peaks and low valleys in terms of quality. In fact, around my early years of high school, I sat through two of the worst seasons of the show's history: 29 and 30...and these were so bad that I actually stopped watching consistently ever since, even when the show did have an uptick in quality (which it did shortly thereafter). 

We all have our attachments to certain eras. I still think the best combo of stellar writing and cast members comes from the late 80s/early 90s era that included the likes of Dana Carvey, Phil Hartman, and Jan Hooks.

However, we can't ignore where it all began. The first era of SNL, which aired from 1975-1980 is legendary and truly iconic. While some of these episodes have a roughness to them that feels rather erratic at times, you can't help but marvel at them. This was a new property and considering the limitations that the show's imitable creator Lorne Michaels had to work with, he often turned dross into gold. 

So when I heard that a film was being made about the early days of SNL, I was truly thrilled. I actually would love to see more content like this about the history of SNL, but it should be made clear: I am actually not as enamored with the final product as I would've liked to be. 

Saturday Night is a film that manages to have some truly great qualities, but its concept and approach both strengthen and weaken the results by the time the credits roll. 

How accurate WAS Saturday Night? Honestly, a lot of the stuff that happened in the film did occur, but was either heightened for the moment or didn't happen on the night that was being depicted. This is, however, not the reason I am going to criticize the film because that kind of plotting happens all the time in films about true stories/events.

Saturday Night takes place on the night of the series premiere: October 11th, 1975...and despite the fact the show is going live in less than 2 hours, Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle from The Fabelmans) is trying his best to make sure his show will get on the air smoothly...but he is battling a network, NBC, who gave him a studio with equipment that is 20 years outdated and falling apart and a group of actors and writers whose insecurities or egos or both are adding to the chaos backstage. 

These days, I would argue SNL is the definition of a well-oiled machine...perhaps even too much so. I mentioned how the show in those early years would have a rough quality and a lot of that was due to Lorne Michaels trying to find the formula that would make for a successful variety show. I would argue that he found it in various forms of confidence throughout the first 3 seasons, but from the start, he wasn't sure exactly what the show would be. That uncertainty would prove to be a major hurdle for Michaels, whose smoke and mirrors act of trying to steer away the head honchos of the network nearly costs him going live on air at 11:30. 

The fast-paced nature of the film is what makes the film highly entertaining and watchable...but the unfortunate thing about this is that it lacks intimacy. I am not saying every film has to be a super long epic that will drain every drop of tears from your eyes, but it is hard to stay invested in the well being of these people.

In fact, I actually began to wonder how well this film would play to those who aren't familiar with the show's history. Knowing who, say, Dick Ebersol is (played here by Cooper Hoffman) certainly worked in my favor but I do have to wonder if this film could've played as even more slight to most other people without having knowledge of the deeper history of the show. 

The fact the film is so quickly paced doesn't allow us a chance to grow to care much about the characters, except for Lorne Michaels to an extent...and I think a lot of that is due to how LaBelle's natural boyish "aw shucks" demeanor translates onscreen. 

Although, there is one actor I want to single out in particular and that is Lamorne Morris, who most people would recognize as Winston from New Girl and his recent Emmy winning turn as Trooper Whit Farr on season 5 of Fargo. 

Here, he plays the fascinating man that is Garrett Morris, the show's first cast member of color and someone who was a bit of an outsider within the show. 

*Sidenote: Lamorne Morris has said in interviews that as a kid, he would claim that Garrett Morris was his actual father, a story he has since been able to tell Garrett, who is currently 87 years old as of this writing. Just wanted to add that as I find it utterly adorable.*

When watching Morris play his "father", I was actually very impressed with the absolute care he took to capturing his presence.

G. Morris came from a theatre background having worked with the likes of Harry Belafonte, got training at Julliard, became a published playwright, performed opera throughout the world, and was a key member of the Black Arts Repertory Theater in Harlem. 

Michaels had read a play of Morris' that he quite liked and hired him as a writer, despite the fact he had never written in short-form before. Some of the work he turned in, including a superhero sketch entitled "Colored Man" was received with apathy by the show's mercurial headwriter Michael O'Donoghue (who is played perfectly in the film by Tommy Dewey), but considering he had experience as an actor, Michaels decided to hire him as a cast member in hopes to bring people of color onto the roster of the show. 

Morris has a swagger about him, but the world of SNL clearly brought him a level of insecurity that nearly destroyed him. If you read my post about him, you will learn more but the movie does flirt with the fact that Morris would turn to drugs to cope with the fact that he just didn't seem to mesh with the world of the show as it was developing. Although - the movie does show us he would have the chops as he does get to sing one of the more famous bits that would happen later on in the first season: singing his "Kill All The Whiteys I See" number. 

All of the ensemble truly did a wonderful job at capturing what these people were/are, but Morris did Morris proud here. I sort of wish maybe he had gotten a little more screentime, because I think this performance would be worthy of an Oscar nomination if it had more meat on the bone. 

It was also rather fun to see Nicholas Braun, fresh off his stint as Cousin Greg on Succession, playing both Andy Kaufmann and Jim Henson...or see Matthew Rhys disappear into the brilliant facade of George Carlin. 

So yes, this isn't exactly a deep review, but I am not sure the film requires one. I found it to be highly enjoyable, but it was also a glossy and semi-cartoonish attempt at capturing a true legendary moment in time. The biggest problem is it just makes you wish there was a way they could dig deeper.

SATURDAY NIGHT

RATING: 6.5/10

A New Kind of Brighton Beach Memoir: My Review of Sean Baker’s ANORA

*This review will be free of spoilers until the end, so you will get prompt warning when this will switch over into spoiler mode. I will say that certain themes throughout the review may allude to spoiler-ish elements*

My boyfriend Jesse and I sat down at Nitehawk in Brooklyn and one of the first things to play on the screen was the original trailer for Pretty Woman. It sort of made sense; I knew the themes from that film would play into the one we were about to see.

And that film, Anora, quickly became one of my most anticipated films of the year after it managed to win the prestigious Palme d’or at the Cannes Film Festival back in May. 

At first glance, Anora doesn't seem like the kind of film that would become a major contender during the movie award season...but I think we are beginning to see tides shifting within the kinds of films that can get this significant attention. Sure, there are going to be exceptions that prove me wrong -- for every Parasite and Moonlight, there will be Green Book and Coda right behind them rearing their mediocre heads. 

This isn't to say Anora is exactly that out of the box in terms of accessibility, but it IS a film that flirts with genres and themes that aren't typically considered fodder for prestige pictures.

The film begins at Headquarters, a strip club located near the Lincoln Tunnel in Manhattan where we meet the titular 23 year old Anora Mikheeva (Mikey Madison), who prefers to go by Ani. She works as a stripper and does sex work on the side to make extra money. She gets by, but she lives in a small apartment in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn...a neighborhood famously known for its prominent Russian population. Despite having shallow and materialistic tendencies, she does have a desire to break out of this life.

Having familiarity with the Russian language, she is asked to be the escort for 21 year old Ivan "Vanya" Zakharov (Mark Eydelshteyn), who we soon discover is the son of a rich Russian oligarch and he is living out of his father's mansion in Mill Basin (which, for a time, was actually owned by a real-life Russian oligarch). 

Even though Ani doesn't want to think of herself as a prostitute, she takes repeated offers from him for sexual encounters to the point where he proposes an even bigger offer: $15,000 for her to stay with him the whole week and pose as his girlfriend...and this leads to an impromptu trip to Las Vegas via a private plane with all of Vanya's entourage. Vanya proclaims that he has fallen in love with Ani and despite some brief skepticism, she says yes and asks for a 3 karat ring. Vanya postures: "Why not 4?"

The two rush to one of those cliche Vegas wedding chapels and have an exuberant night to follow along the strip. Ani moves in with Vanya and quits her job at HQ...but there are signs of something amiss. Word has gotten back to Russia that Vanya married "a prostitute", which sends his powerful and domineering mother Galina and his stoic but aloof father Nikolai into a tailspin and they board a plan for New York with every intention to get this marriage annulled. 

In order to the ensure the process can begin, they have Vanya's godfather, an Orthodox priest named Toros (Karren Karagulian), sends over two goons named Igor and Garnick (Yura Borisov & Vache Tovmasyn) over to the mansion to confront the duo. 

And from there...the film truly takes off. 

I find myself thinking a lot about Anora now that I am a day removed from seeing it. I am still at a point where I am not quite sure if I would go as far as to claim it to be a masterpiece as many are saying on Film Twitter or YouTube channels...besides, the term "masterpiece" gets thrown around way too much these days. Having said that, there is so much to love about Anora.

I will say there were a couple of plot points that I predicted coming from a mile away, but what I will commend Sean Baker on is that he diverted enough from the path that he kept me on my toes and from not being underwhelmed when these moments occurred. 

There are definitely moments I want to discuss when I get to the spoiler section in relation to some of these plot points, but for now, I do want to talk about what makes this film work as a whole.

Sean Baker has been a true king of indie filmmaking several years now with films like Starlet, Tangerine, The Florida Project, and Red Rocket. He always seems eager to tackle topics that deal with people who are struggling or marginalized and wants to give them focus. 

When Baker won the Palme d'or and even in interviews since, he has made it clear that negative stigma towards sex work in society simply needs to vanish. I certainly don't expect one film to be any kind of significant catalyst, but I will say that I appreciated how clearly Baker took care to capture this kind of world with a dignity that was warranted while also showing its darker edges as well.

I think a lot of the power in capturing that world can be given not just to Sean Baker, but to his leading lady.

Mikey Madison is one of those actresses I have seen (and liked) in other projects but personally never found myself catching her name. I had seen her as Max, the bitter daughter of Pamela Adlon's Sam on Better Things (in fact, a scene from the show was shown during the sneak preview portion before the film); she also has the distinction of being burned alive in two films: Scream V and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. In fact, her death in the latter was particularly memorable as she not only dies via Leonardo DiCaprio's flamethrower in the swimming pool, but she is mauled by Brad Pitt's pitbull prior to that. It perhaps felt more satisfying because she was playing Susan Atkins, the Manson Family member who was present for the infamous Tate murders.

If I am going to say anything positive about the film, and believe me I will have more positive things to say than what I am about to say, but it would be this:

Mikey Madison. STAR!

This girl is IT. She has such a distinctive quality that is not only beautiful, but also rough around the edges. She can play tough but also incredibly vulnerable with absolute conviction. Considering she is a girl from the San Fernando Valley, it is kind of impressive how much she captures the South Brooklyn dialect that I hear around me all the time. It fits her like a glove so much so that I honestly thought that perhaps she did grow up in Brooklyn. You can tell she put so much effort to nail the accent and to work on learning Russian.

Even beyond just the technical aspects like accent work, Madison is just a force of nature. This isn't to say that she is constantly being brash or bombastic on screen...although we do get to see her do exactly that kind of thing...but her screen presence feels so fresh and, frankly, unlike many actresses I have seen in recent years. 

She feels so real and genuine to the point where when she does have to become more emotional or vulnerable, you truly feel for her. Ani is one tough cookie and she is more than willing to defend herself...but you are ready to join the resistance to protect her at all cost because she manages to win you over that much.

It is still so early to make this call, but regardless of what other performances do come about, Mikey Madison's work here as our lead is worthy to win the Oscar for Best Actress. I would go as far to say I wouldn't be shocked if she does go all the way; if anything, she IS my prediction to win right now. I didn't exactly buy into that hype when I heard others make that claim in reviews, but I am a certainly in that camp now.

This is one of those performances I could see people looking back on as years go by and calling it "iconic". A true career defining performance that truly puts Mikey Madison on the map in an absolutely monumental way and one that makes me super excited to see whatever she does next!

As for the rest of the ensemble, a lot has been circulating online about young Mark Eydelshteyn being the Russian Timothee Chalamet...and yes, that comparison is earned and justified. His Vanya is essentially a teenager trapped in the body of a 21-year-old which has its charms...including sliding around in his socks like some Gen Z version of Tom Cruise in Risky Business to avoid the simple act of walking. I actually would love to see him do more, because there are moments where I could see glimpses of potential darkness that could prove fruitful in bleaker dramatic material.

Karagulian, Borisov, and Tovmasyan as the Three Stooges of sorts...Toros, Igor, and Garnick...are a riot. In many ways, you hate them but you also can't help but love them.

Once they enter the fray, you truly see the film heading into directions you weren't quite expecting...but you also marvel at how much Baker balances their villainous nature with a sense of humanity...even if it comes from a place of supposed class snobbery. 

In fact, Anora as a film is all about balance. 

Tonal shifts can be problematic when it comes to films. A filmmaker like Bong Joon-ho masters that line time and time again, but I would argue Sean Baker proves he can blend genres and shift them around with the best of them.

There are times where the energy of this film feels like a brasher take on that of a 30s screwball comedy, but then at times, where you truly feel truly disheartened or on the edge of your seat as if you are watching some kind of Safdie Brothers action/comedy/thriller a la Uncut Gems.

I also adored the film's setting as we don't often see South Brooklyn neighborhoods featured in films these days aside from Coney Island. They even filmed scenes at the Williams Candy Shop in Coney Island, a place I have gone to multiple times to get candy apples and fudge. I truly loved the aesthetic of the film with such wonderful cinematography by Drew Daniels, who manages to make the film pop with rich colors and I would argue his work deserves an Oscar nod as well.

I am going to be a bit of nitpicker and outlier here as I disagree with a lot of reviews I have read that this film flew by. I would argue that sections of it do, but I do think Sean Baker's script/editing (he does his own editing) could've used a little trimming. The final act does drag a bit and I would also argue the film's first half hour sort of left me feeling like "This is good, but I am worried this might've been overhyped". 

The film's runtime is just shy of 140 minutes, but I do think the final act could've been trimmed by a few minutes to keep it moving at swifter pace. I don't think it would've sacrificed the payoff by any means. 

Beyond that, this is a film that is truly a disarming and easy to engage with. I think Sean Baker was able to mesh so many of his previous themes and styles and ideas into a film that feels so alive and...to use a word I have already said multiple times already...refreshing in today's cinema landscape.

I could see it growing on me more over time, but as it stands now, I think we have a truly lovely effort from Sean Baker with an absolutely star-making performance by Mikey Madison that deserves to be talked about in the years to come.

ANORA - RATING: 9/10

-

And now - THE SPOILERS:

A lot has been said about the ending of Anora and the final act that precedes it.

Earlier in my review, I stopped talking about the plot once it is clear that Vanya's parents want his marriage annulled and they enlist Toros to get involved with Igor and Garnick. 

Two key reasons I stopped talking about this are the tonal shifts deserve to be left with some ambiguity as I frankly wasn't expecting the film to truly be as hilarious as it was. The comedy truly hits slapstick/screwball level but in a way that feels realistic. None of them feel like cartoon characters. 

But the major key moment is Vanya abandoning Ani at the mercy of his three caretakers. It is clear that there is something truly off with Vanya in this moment, but it is still so soon in the process that even if we suspect he is just an immature child who might cave to his parents' demands, we can still understand why Ani may suspect he will be back.

Alas - Vanya is just an immature spoiled brat who is too busy to do anything with his life but live off his father's fortune. He even mentions in passing to Ani that he really wants to obtain a Green Card and become a US Citizen so he won't have to go back to Russia and work for his father. 

The scenes of watching Ani fight off the trio in the mansion and eventually being carted around South Brooklyn to find Vanya are certainly hilarious, but as the film progresses, you truly feel more and more that she is about to lose everything she thought so easily fell into her lap.

And all through that, she is being demeaned for her job/lifestyle. 

By the end, Vanya's parents arrive and it is particularly his mother that is truly vile towards Ani...but I do love that Ani gets her moments to tell off both Vanya and Galina.

It is as if we are seeing behind the curtain after the glorious Pretty Woman happy ending and seeing someone's life crash and burn...but is it really crashing and burning?

In many ways, Ani has saved herself a lot of heartache. She also managed to walk away with $10K from the annulment and, in an admittedly predictable twist, Ani does maintain possession of the 4-karat diamond ring that Vanya gave her. Toros had taken the ring but Igor managed to steal it back to give to Ani.

Igor is presented as the tough oaf who actually begins to feel for Ani despite the fact he is the one who she seems to lash out at most as he tries to hold her down and tie her up when she escapes...but in reality, you sort of wonder if they are going to try to pair these two.

That would be the Hollywood ending to tack on to them feel after what we got prior to the final scene, but Baker takes us down a bleaker path. 

Once Igor gives Ani the ring, she resorts back to her transactional manner and feels she needs to reward Igor with sex...not to mention this whole ordeal occurred on his birthday, which is one of those plot beats that feels silly but it feels perfect for the story. Igor, actually thinking maybe this is her coming around to giving him a chance, tries to kiss her only for her to start hitting him for even trying.

Once she calms down, she collapses into his arms sobbing profusely.

Everything has finally hit her: the whole ordeal and on top of that, she seems to feel incapable of accepting that someone might truly be willing to see her as a lovely companion on her terms rather than a sex object. Igor almost stares at Ani in awe because it is clear he admires her and cares for her as the film progresses...and even when she starts hitting him in that moment, you get the sense he truly GETS why. 

I would like to think that Ani finds her peace. Maybe Igor would be able to be a source of comfort for her. Maybe the fact he drives his dead grandmother's car that is seemingly decades old will be enough to recoil further if she slinks back into more materialistic ways as she always had. Ani might potentially be willing to accept help. She also has the means to pawn a ring worth tens of thousands of dollars while her "husband" is being forced to go back to Russia under the watchful eye of his parents.

So no - Anora doesn't exactly have a happy ending...it sort of hits you just as much as the abuse Igor takes from Ani...but I would like to think that maybe there is a glimmer of hope for her in this tragic circumstance.

AN SNL REVIEW: Season 6 - Episode 6: Ray Sharkey/Jack Bruce & Friends

 1981 was quite the year for the country and for SNL.

That January, Ronald Reagan was sworn in....cue the horror...

That April, he was nearly killed all thanks to someone being obsessed with Jodie Foster.

But you could make the case that 1981 is one of the most bizarre and erratic years in SNL history. You have the final stretch of the Doumanian episodes followed by the battle of wits between new producer Dick Ebersol and returning headwriter Michael O'Donoghue that autumn. 

But focusing on the season in question, we are coming back from the winter break with two new headwriters: Jeremy Stevens and Tom Moore, who both had been writers on Fernwood 2Nite, the parody talk show that was something of a spin-off of the cult hit Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. 

It seems obvious that not much has changed to the tone of the show, which proves that Doumanian's reign is not helping matters in the slightest. In other eras when new headwriters took over (such as Adam McKay coming in during season 21 following the mass departures of mainstays like Jim Downey and Al Franken in season 20), you could see a noticeable, fresh, and welcomed shift in how the show was looking to evolve. 

The following episode I am about to review doesn't show any real promise, but the capability is there...which we will see in the next episode following this.

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COLD OPENING: To Tell The Truth

When it comes to classic game shows, I feel like there is a certain generational divide when it comes to To Tell the Truth. I was, not surprisingly if you've been an avid reader of my blog, a kid who had a fascination with older TV as a kid, particularly game shows.

To Tell the Truth was part of the famed Goodson/Todman Productions which also had a had in classics like What's My Line?, I've Got a Secret, The Price is Right, and Family Feud to name a few.

The main premise is that 3 individuals stand on the stage and they all proclaim to be one person and it is up to the celebrity panel to determine which of the three is the person they say they are.

The premise of this cold open, which was written by Barry Blaustein & David Sheffield, is that of the then topical incident of mobster Jimmy "The Weasel" Fratiano turning into an informant for the FBI and being placed into protection. As expected, the mafia wants him dead.

So here, we are trying to find out who is the real "Weasel".

We get featured player Matthew Laurence doing a relatively straightforward impersonation, Charles Rocket goes for the cliche 20's gangster you've seen a dozen times, and Eddie Murphy gets the biggest laugh of the sketch by simply being himself.

It's a solid enough bit, especially considering how rocky most of the cold opens (and monologues for that matter) are during season 6. I think what really makes this one memorable is this is the first instance Eddie Murphy gets to say "Live From New York".

Although, so much has been said about how some of the people behind the scenes actually complained that Eddie Murphy (still then a "lowly" featured player) got the chance to say the immortal line before a cast member like Ann Risley was given the chance...or even Gail Matthius, who only got to say "It's Saturday Night!" during the horrid Jamie Lee Curtis cold open.

It was reported that Doumanian by this point had finally acknowledged Murphy's ability as a performer and agreed to let him announce it.

It's rather telling that in the next episode, Risley gets to do the honor.

As for Murphy, this is going to turn out to be a big night for him...and it truly signals, as if we needed further probing, that Murphy is the one they need to save this show.

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MONTAGE & MONOLOGUE:

Every now and then, we look back on SNL history and we kind of wonder "Who the hell is this host?!".

Ray Sharkey is a prime example of a host who came in to host at what was arguably the only real 15-minutes of fame he got in his career. Later that month, Sharkey would win the Comedy/Musical Golden Globe for Best Actor in The Idolmaker, a film that is largely forgotten today (and a film that I don't even think I have seen in full). 

Sharkey eventually passed away in the 90s after he had contracted HIV due to extraneous drug use (which he also infected an estimated 100 women as he was in staunch denial he even had HIV)...so yeah, a very problematic figure.

Sharkey's energy in this monologue is both welcomed and appalling. To be frank, his high energy NY style does end up helping the show tonight at many moments...but he also relies too much on saying "fuhgedaboutit" WAY too much during the monologue.

So it isn't great...but I suppose his energy is more of a plus than a con.

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COMMERCIAL: Drink BEFORE The Job

In the early years of SNL, it actually wasn't unusual for the fake ads to feature people who weren't cast members...and this is a prime exmaple.

This is a fun premise...and for someone who really doesn't care for their job, I can relate to the idea of how much I wish I could just drink my troubles away and then go into work.

It is fine enough for what it is.

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SKETCH: The Wasp Interpreter

Charles Rocket and Ann Risley play themselves as a stuffy white couple who have trouble expressing their emotions. And they literally named the characters Charles and Ann to drive the point home. 

They choose to hire an interpreter, played by Sharkey, who can translate their actual feelings amidst their banal waspy responses.

I don't think I even have to go any further. Charles or Ann say something very dry and lifeless which turns into Sharkey translating a loud and brash response, such as saying that Charles referred to Ann as a "stupid bitch" and a "cow".

They stick so much to this premise that it gets old incredibly fast...even when they try to liven it up by having Sharkey passionately make out with Risley.

I think there could have been some promise here, but it was just a bare premise that was barely held up by a bombastic Sharkey performance.

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SKETCH: Tommy Torture

I am very torn on this sketch, but for the most part, I consider it to falter.

I love how they really go for that early 80s CBGB feel with the set, but the bits with Matthius' Vicki and Dillon's Debbie seem to fall flat.

The whole premise is that they sneak into this seedy club to see a punk rocker by the name of Tommy  Torture, who is played by Sharkey.

Sharkey gets to sing an original song called "Abuse Somebody", which might be a bit on the nose in terms of its lyrics but it is a very catchy and well performed punk song and might even be Sharkey's best moment of the night. He is basically proving that he is a host who will try anything, which is not something we see a lot of during this season.

Although the ending, where Vicki and Debbie agree that the song was "not too cool" (a phrase they've already been using a little bit), just gives the sketch a whimper of an ending after coming off the high of the song performance.

It almost makes me wish they devised this sketch solely around Sharkey and maybe had a different character for Matthius and/or Dillon to play.

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PSA: Citizens for a Better America

We finally get a sketch featuring Gottfried...and it feels like we haven't seen him for so long after his last episode only featured him in Yellowface the entire time.

It truly is strange to watch Gottfried in these episodes: very subdued, using his natural voice, and very uneasy on camera.

While this sketch does eventually get some laughs, I have to admit that his energy in this sketch is not something you see on SNL often. He truly seems so green.

It becomes a play on words...where Gottfried talks about the plight of people not wanting to take more menial jobs, or as he refers to the "a humjob".

"My father had a humjob, my grandfather had a humjob..."

And of course, the final line: "Mr. President, give me a humjob!" 

It is silly enough, but mostly just a one joke premise that oddly suffers more due to how little Gottfried puts into it.

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SKETCH: Carter at the Bar/January 11th

In what is only the second of three appearances from Piscopo's Carter this season, I have to admit that I do like this impersonation. Here, I'd say he comes closer to nailing it even more than Aykroyd did.

Placing Carter in a bar is certainly fitting, though very unlike the real Carter...but considering how unpopular the man was at that point, I doubt many cared about how accurate his image was.

Sharkey plays a bartender in the sketch and even says to him that all he can do now "is sit on your duff and daydream" now that his "job" is coming to an end.

Carter: "Oh, I've been doing that the last four years".

Sigh...Carter is such a great man, but there is no denying that his presidency was plagued with problems. Perhaps the ultimate example of a lame duck president.

The sketch then takes a bizarre turn where it cuts to a live feed of Charles Rocket standing out in the blistering cold on the corner of 5th Ave/50th St amongst a crowd ready to ring in January 11th.

It seems like an obvious ploy to really energize the audience, but I suppose I give them props for basically...well...providing the audience with props and letting them ring in a New Day not long after they rang in the New Year. 

It was interesting to see them try a strange format such as this, but it doesn't quite land and it feels a little jarring. 

I suppose that is a win...especially since we have had sketches like Commie Hunting Season to contend with from this season.

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WEEKEND UPDATE WITH CHARLES ROCKET & GAIL MATTHIUS????....Does That Mean UPDATE is saved?!?!

Does Weekend Update need two anchors to succeed?

Not necessarily. People like Chevy Chase and Jane Curtin and Dennis Miller and Norm MacDonald were able to handle the job with ease...but that also doesn't mean having a co-anchor to bounce off of is a bad thing.

Curtin worked very well with Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray; Colin Jost and Michael Che have been very consistent as co-anchors for the last several years; and who could forget the pairing of Tina Fey and Jimmy Fallon?

Pairing Rocket with Matthius wasn't a bad idea. I can totally understand why they would do it because it is blatantly obvious that Update hasn't been working. In fact, not only has it been so dire in nearly every aspect, they go as far to change the Update set to be nearly identical to the Curtin/Murray set from seasons 4 and 5. 

The unfortunate truth is that the writing is still mostly abysmal...and Matthius, god love her, isn't able to overcome the material given. If anything, being on the Update just shows she probably was better suited sticking

Instead of seeming too calm and lethargic, Rocket starts to veer in another direction for these final episodes of his short tenure. It will become more apparent in the coming episodes.

However, as is to be expected, Update is stolen by Piscopo and then kidnapped from him by Eddie Murphy.

Piscopo is pretty much in his full Sportscaster role at this point, and his simple bit with claiming bowling is the sport of the 80s by utilizing a cheap bowling toy is somewhat fun and charming for what it is...but what I really love about it is that it seems to set up a bit where Piscopo tries to "upstage" Rocket once the bit is over having his toys interfere with Rocket's "jokes". I will comment on the variations of this bit as we continue on with the season.

That bring us to Eddie Murphy.

After getting the chance to say "Live from New York" before Ann Risley and even Gail Matthius (in full) had the opportunity, Murphy gets his next major break in the episode with his latest Update commentary.

With the war draft still a topic of discussion, Murphy was still only 19 years old when this episode aired (his confidence makes him seem like he is at least a few years older). Murphy doesn't want to be drafted which is met with applause from the audience. 

Although - he isn't afraid of being drafted: "I don't mind getting shot at every now and then; it doesn't bother me". HIS issue is that if he is drafted, who will be the Token Black on SNL who can do impressions of people like Bill Cosby and Stevie Wonder?

This leads to him doing Cosby for the first time (which, admittedly, was never one of his better impersonations) and just a visual look for Wonder which in later episodes will lead to one of his better vocal impersonations. The audience eats this bit up, but I do feel the final bit of the editorial where he recommends that they enlist Garrett Morris to join despite his age because "he's got a lot of time on his hands". Considering the kind of horrific treatment he received behind the scenes as a cast member during 1975-1980, I don't think this bit aged very well at all.

Regardless, it is another successful bit from Murphy and another sign that this young guy was worth far more screentime than he was actually getting.

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MUSICAL PERFORMANCE: 

Jack Bruce & Friends perform "Dancing on Air"

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SKETCH: Filmed Confession

A solid sketch overall in which Ray Sharkey plays a detective who is trying to get a confession out of a criminal played by Gilbert Gottfried...but the twist is that the interrogator is treating it as if it were a small film he is directing.

While there have been other sketches that have flirted with this kind of idea before and since, I would say their take on it here is not bad. I also think Gottfried comes alive here more than he has been in a couple of episodes, which is nice to see considering his brief tenure is known for being him in a very green and almost catatonic state on camera.

Once again, say what you will about Sharkey, but you can't argue the man was trying to give his all in this episode.

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SHORT FILM: Have a Nice Day

We are in the early stages of the Slasher Movie era with Leatherface and Michael Meyers becoming iconic figures (although Jason Voorhees was not quite on the radar yet).

The idea of a horror movie using Smiley faces throughout in various ways does come off as silly, but not overly funny in the end. 

I do think the image on a Leatherface-type villain with a smiley faced mask and a chainsaw is actually kind of creepy in its own way.

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SKETCH: White Babies on the Black Market

I have always been kind of mixed on this sketch, primarily because the idea of putting Murphy (even though he is with Sharkey) as someone selling white babies on the Black Market does seem a bit tasteless by today's standards, but as is expected, Murphy's presence makes it a little more bearable.

It also doesn't hurt that some of the more absurdist bits of the sketch actually land, such as how a bowling pin was sold to a couple as a white baby or Denny Dillion having a kid named "Splotchy".

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AUDIENCE CAPTION: 

As you can see, SNL decided they wanted to tackle these captions where they would zero in on a random audience member and comment on them in a faux-insulting way. 

Even in those 70s episodes, these weren't exactly amazing bits or highlights, but they often provided a quick chuckle.

The issue with this one is that it is far too wordy and it has that desperate feeling of "Hey look! Isn't it funny that we are saying this man has coleslaw in his underwear?!" 

This season will try to tackle these again, but the results are still lackluster.

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SKETCH: Surrogate Mothers

The audience does seem to get behind this sketch over all, and I can understand why to an extent. Denny Dillon's penchant for trying to get more money out of Risley's character by threatening to do acts such as taking LSD is humorous thanks to Dillon's performance, but this is yet another sketch that falls under the "shock value" category where it has that "Make it Hipper" stamp from Jean Doumanian. 

Perhaps even more frustrating is that they have Yvonne Hudson in the sketch as the other surrogate, but only use her to basically have her utter the "I don't know nothin' bout birthin' no babies" line from Gone with the Wind". 

Such an insulting waste. 

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SHORT FILM: The Man with the Black Hat

Not much to say about this one.

A man walks around with his pants down and eventually meets a woman who is "dressed" the same way.

Honestly, some of the short films that SNL would air during this time...even extending into the Ebersol era...were amazing in their relative pointlessness.

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COMMERCIAL: Stop-a-Nut

I feel like a lot of people really like this one, and I suppose I can see the humor in certain moments. The concept is that Stop-a-Nut is a personal protection unit that will fight crime.

The best parts of the sketch are Ray Sharkey as an elderly woman trying to fight off the armored suit and the somehow glamorous life one can have while being inside the suit, complete with a fancy house.

There's also Eddie Murphy blasting Rapper's Delight on his boombox, which of course, the Stop-a-Nut takes as "crime" and begins attacking the boombox.

Definitely a wacky concept, and it is done pretty well.

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SKETCH: The Waiter-Maker

As I mentioned during his monologue, Sharkey was in the midst of his career peak while hosting this episode thanks to his performance in The Idolmaker, a role he would win the Comedy Golden Globe for later that month.

I don't think having knowledge of that movie is necessary here. I haven't even seen the whole thing, but the concept is pretty straightforward, so it is easy to pick up on. Having it be about making someone a great waiter is, I suppose, mildly amusing but it is frankly kind of basic.

Even the best moment of the sketch is done so poorly, which is a series of intertitles to show the comedically long passage of time it took for the waiter (Gilbert Gottfried) to be competent enough for his first dinner service.

However, it is clear this is being done to prep for set and costume changes and the timing of it is so slow that it only further drags the sketch down...so that is a bad sign when arguably the best moment of the sketch is a borderline disaster and frankly not even that funny to begin with.

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COMMERCIAL: Selling Nothing

Considering what is about to follow this, I have to wonder if this was some kind of last minute desperate attempt to pad out the timing of the episode.

Piscopo is a pitchman who is trying to sell us a seemingly non-existent vague product for $9.99

It is over and done so fast that it leaves you more bewildered than anything else.

I suppose the plus is that Piscopo is at least good at this kind of material.

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EXTRA: Eddie Murphy Saves The Day!

The legend behind this bit is pretty well-known in terms of SNL lore. When Eddie Murphy finally snagged an audition for the show, he did a piece for Neil Levy in which he played three guys on a street corner in Harlem. Two are attempting to fight while the other is instigating. 

When the show was running very short, it was Neil Levy who kept saying to Jean Doumanian that having Murphy do his stand-up material would be a great way to pad out the time before the final musical performance.

Doumanian kept resisting until she finally relented. Murphy, seemingly thrilled about the prospect with no hint of anxiety, proceeded to head for home base to do his bit.

While many have stated that his performance here is not exactly his best work, what is still remarkable about it is that he felt confident enough to do the piece on live television with barely any heads up and...perhaps even crazier...cut it down and censored it as he went along so it wouldn't go over the amount of time that was allotted.

If there was any doubt amongst anyone at this point that Eddie Murphy was actually the future of SNL, they were extremely delusional. 

Upon finishing the bit, the audience roars with approval and he introduces the final musical performance.

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GOODNIGHTS/FINAL THOUGHTS:

Considering this was the first show back after the winter hiatus along with the fact they had new headwriters, this episode didn't really feel any worse or better than what we've been getting so far. 

In fact, it seems to further prove how much of a negative influence Doumanian was to her staff for not being able to properly guide them. 

As a host, Ray Sharkey was a bit brash and bombastic but there is no denying that his energy helped keep things lively and it is certainly appreciative that he seemed game to do anything.

Eddie Murphy firmly plants himself as what the show will need to actually survive. 

Getting to have the "Live From New York!" intro, a killer Update piece, and his standup right at the end made him feel like the episode's tentpoles.

Strangely enough, despite what was seemingly a bigger growing desire to dispose of Jean Doumanian backstage by NBC, the cast/writers would go into the next week surprisingly emboldened and they would give us an episode that has been considered worthy of classic status.

Stay tuned as I will discuss what might be the season's best episode: Karen Black/Cheap Trick.