An Al Pacino appreciation: A misunderstood master actor

The other day at work one of my younger co-workers revealed to me that they had never seen an Al Pacino movie. I was shocked and disappointed, but when I recounted this story to an even younger co-worker -- it got worse, she had never heard of the acting legend.

Pacino has long been one of my favorite actors, but one of the disappointing facets of his career has been the paucity of memorable and/or critically acclaimed roles post-2002's successful Christopher Nolan thriller Insomnia.

So it's perhaps unsurprising that a younger generation is ignorant of his charms -- even his more goofy, over-the-top performances which have perpetuated an unfortunate stereotype of him as a bellowing blowhard, when some his best performances are actually both subtle and quiet.

An ongoing retrospective on Pacino's work is currently being hosted by the Quad Cinema in New York City, with the Oscar winner's blessing. At 77, he is firmly in the twilight of his career, although he will be appearing soon in a high-profile HBO movie about the disgraced late Penn State coach, Joe Paterno.

Still, I saw two Pacino's performances there, separated by more than 20 years, and another 20 years plus since either of their release, that spoke volumes about his talent and how underrated it is.

Pacino remains one of our greatest method actors ever -- and I was so moved by his performances in 1973'a Scarecrow and 1997's Donnie Brasco, that it made me think more deeply on his whole career as a whole.

He has certainly made his fair share of clunkers and continued making crime thrillers far past the point of plausibility (although I am cautiously optimistic about his role in the upcoming The Irishman, since he'll be collaborating with Martin Scorsese for the first time on it. But he is, by all accounts a consummate professional, and the selections suggest he's willing to embrace the virtues of some of his most notorious flops.

In Scarecrow and Donnie Brasco, Pacino delivers two brilliant, but very different character studies.

His character in Scarecrow is a sweet-natured, almost childlike man nicknamed Lion by a more forceful newfound friend played by a typically terrific Gene Hackman. For most of the films ambling narrative, Pacino cedes the spotlight to Hackman, brilliantly underplaying his character's quest to reunite with his estranged wife and child whose gender he doesn't yet know.

Al Pacino in Donnie Brasco

The film ends tragically for Pacino's character, and if he hadn't built up so much empathy and good will through his open, honest performance throughout the movie, it just wouldn't work emotionally. He ends up being the glue without doing anything particularly showy. It's the kind of performance that was the hallmark of his incredible run of films from 1972's The Godfather through 1975's Dog Day Afternoon.

By the time he made the hit gangster film Donnie Brasco, Pacino had already begun to be defined by his big performances and had some so many crime genre films that it may have hurt his chances that awards season. That year, his contemporaries -- Jack Nicholson and Dustin Hoffman -- were both nominated for Best Actor for comeback roles of sorts, but Pacino's work in Donnie Brasco is funnier, stronger and deeper.

I'll never forget his line where he describes himself as a "spoke on a wheel." His character Lefty is a perpetually passed over sad sack who suffers the double whammy of seeing his young recruit -- the titular Donnie Brasco, played by Johnny Depp -- first surpass him in the mobster pecking order and then being revealed to be a covert FBI agent.

The Depp melodrama sometimes drags the film down -- his scenes with Anne Heche as his neglected spouse are particularly overwrought and overlong -- but Pacino's work is pitch perfect. He allows himself to be so vulnerable on screen and achingly human.

He looks frail and wounded, but always plays Lefty with pride, even when he is constantly borrowing money from Brasco to save face.

Clearly, Pacino has a formidable gallery of performances in the tank that can be held up against any number of iconic stars, but I would love to see one last classic one to be a fitting capper to his pantheon. And hopefully, will be enough to make him more than a relic to younger generations of filmgoers.

'The Death of Stalin' is a hilarious, subtle dig at Trumpism

It's a shame that comedies rarely (if ever) get nominated for Best Picture, because the critically acclaimed satire The Death of Stalin has all the substance and gravitas of an Oscar movie, but it's also hilarious as hell.

It's an enlightening and elegant satire that turns on an absurd conceit -- we're asked to accept a sprawling cast stocked with primo British and American actors (including Steve Buscemi, Monty Python's Michael Palin, Jeffrey Tambor and a scene-stealing Simon Russell Beale) playing some of the most iconic, upper-echelon Russian leaders during and after the death of dictator Joseph Stalin in the early 1950s.

These actors make no attempt to do a Russian accent and instead play a high stakes game of political backstabbing and manipulation with frantic, deadpan honesty. Never once do the characters look at the camera and wink at what's happening and what makes this black comedy so devastating is how utterly real and plausible it all feels.

Director Armando Iannucci, who is the brains behind HBO's sublime Veep, mined this type of comedy before with his fantastic spoof of the run-up to the Iraq War, In the Loop. But with this film, he is even more ambitious, not shying away from the violence and inherent fear of Stalin-era Russia, while still layering in some wonderfully amusing character work.

Of course, looming like a shadow over this piece is our current cultural climate -- not just in Russia, but more specifically here in the U.S., where the president is increasingly surrounding himself with like-minded sycophants and openly floating the idea of maintaining power for life.

It's impossible to watch this film without thinking about how it doesn't feel quite as distant and unthinkable as it should be -- and that may be what's best about it. More than a few 'yuks' in this movie stick in your throat.

This isn't just a diverting Christopher Guest-style lark, it doesn't shy away from the violence and degradation in the totalitarian regimes that ruled the Soviet Union for decades, and so there's real stakes that make the comedy moments work that much more.

The cast is flawless. Buscemi gives one of his patented always-on-the-brink-of-a-meltdown performances, Jason Isaacs is tremendous as the swaggering, metal-covered head of the Russian armed forces, and Tambor is just masterful at playing a sniveling version of Georgy Malenkov, the man initially tapped to replace Stalin.

But my favorite performance in the film may be the least overtly comedic. And that's Simon Russell Beale as the ruthless head of the Soviet Union's secret police Lavrentiy Beria. He plays his part mostly straight, and is by turns both very creepy and deeply funny. It's an Academy Award calliber performance, but it also feels like a chillingly realistic one.

Audiences watching this movie might see a touch of Steve Bannon in Beria, a puppet master of sorts who has lost control over the beasts he has unleashed. His role helps make this film feel unlike anything I've seen, at least in recent years. It's a period piece that feels fully modern and bitingly relevant.

The 10 movies I can't wait to see in 2018

Obviously 2018 and the movie season are into full swing, and in an usual turn of events, a movie that debuted in February -- Black Panther -- has become a legit phenomenon and may wind up being the highest grossing film of the year

Still, as far the movie season goes -- it's really early. There are still some huge superhero movies on the horizon -- Avengers: Infinity War and Ant-Man and the Wasp. There is awards season, which never really kick off until October at the earliest. And, there are always these random, great films that come out of nowhere.

Still, as of right now, these are the 10 movies I'm most excited to see.

10) Ready Player One - Although I've enjoyed Steven Spielberg's recent run of historic dramas, I've been wanting to see him return to what he does best -- making emotionally fulfilling blockbusters. When I read the fanboy novel Ready Player One I thought it seemed like a perfect fit for him. The early reviews and good, not great, but I am still cautiously optimistic. This will likely be the only and best attempt at bringing the book's narrative to the screen, so fingers crossed.

9) If Beale Street Could Talk - Barry Jenkins emerged as one of the most exciting young filmmakers in America after his Oscar-winning triumph Moonlight, and I'm fascinated by his choice adapt one of the legendary James Baldwin's more divisive novels as his follow-up. I trust he will handle the novel's controversial subject matter (it deals with a man falsely accused of sexual assault) with the same sensitivity he handled the protagonist's coming of age in Moonlight.

8) Domino - I know nothing about this movie other than that its a thriller and a return to that genre after a long time off from one of my all-time favorite directors, Brian De Palma. De Palma hasn't made a great film in quite a long time (maybe 2002's Femme Fatale) but I am hoping he has a late career surge left in him that a few other directors have pulled off right when it seemed like the industry has written them off for good. Having his film star a Game of Thrones alum and a Mad Men vet can't hurt either.

7) Black Klansman - The combo of Spike Lee directing and Jordan Peele producing sounds like a very special clash of sensibilities. I have been very unhappy with Spike Lee's output over the past decade, but this film -- about a black man who infiltrates the KKK -- has so much potential and could -- finally -- be the return to form that Lee fans have been longing for for years. He's certainly assembled a strong cast -- including Adam Driver and John David Washington -- and the last time he did a pure genre movie it was the excellent Inside Man.

6) Halloween - This beloved horror film franchise has been rebooted before -- and badly, but I am very excited to see what David Gordon Green and his frequent collaborator actor Danny McBride have in mind for it.

The return of Jamie Lee Curtis in perhaps her most famous role can't hurt, and the fact that this year marks the 40th anniversary of the original makes this feel like more than just another retread. I would love to see Halloween thrive in a new and engaging way for a whole different generation of horror fans.

5) Mission: Impossible -- Fallout - I've already repeatedly attested to me enthusiasm for this series. With the exception of Mission: Impossible II, I don't think its hit a wrong note. The seemingly ageless Cruise has apparently even more death defying stunts up his sleeve and for the first time there seems to be some real continuity with the episode that preceded it. My only hope is that the narrative is as strong as the action of this one -- it could use a good villain too, something the series has been somewhat lacking since the late Philip Seymour Hoffman's great turn in Mission: Impossible III.

4) Sicario  Day of the Soldado - Simply put, no trailer has gotten me more amped this year than this surprise follow-up to the cult hit drug war action drama Sicario. Benicio Del Toro seems to be stepping into Liam Neeson's shoes a the new patron saint of aging bad ass-unlikely action stars. This brooding thriller looks like a real departure from the usual effects-heavy summer fare and I am hopefully that this movie makes a real dent in the marketplace, since this kind of adult-skewing genre film is in short supply these days.

3) Creed II - The first Creed film was one of my favorite movies of 2015, and while I am troubled that Ryan Coogler won't be at the helm of this sequel, the combination of Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone and a resurgent Dolph Lundgren as his iconic Ivan Drago character are too irresistible for me not be at least intrigued by what's possible. The ex-factors will be, of course, the script and the direction, which will, hopefully, like its predecessor steer as clear of formula as humanly possible.

2) Solo - As I have already written, the negative buzz on this project has been nearly deafening, and yet the first trailer has me very excited. As a Star Wars junkie, this film promises to answer a lot of unanswered questions about one of the series coolest, but also somewhat under-developed characters -- Han Solo. I'm hoping Ron Howard's version captures the swagger but also provides the heart behind the smuggler turned rebel hero. So far, none of the new Star Wars films have disappointed me (I know I'm not in a majority opinion on that), so I am rooting for this one.

1) The Irishman - Al Pacino and Robert De Niro's work in recent years has largely been far-from-inspired, even their last pairing on screen was a dud. But this long anticipated mafia epic represents my favorite director Martin Scorsese's return to the genre for the first time since The Departed, his first collaboration with his former muse De Niro in over 20 years, and his first with Pacino ever. The bloated budget and Netflix release has me concerned but this also could be a great comeback-capper for these two living legends' careers.

What are the best movie franchises of all-time?

Hollywood is and long has been an industry dominated by franchises. Even as the film business faces an existential threat in the form of piracy and streaming services, it chugs along largely on the backs of low risk, high reward name brands.

That doesn't mean that these films are altogether terrible. After all, one of the best genre films of recent years -- Black Panther -- was the product of the enormous Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Of course, many film series overstay their welcome (Pirates of the Caribbean, Transformers etc.) others never become a full-fledged franchise after just a couple solid outings. For me, a franchise should constitute at least three films, should be successful enough to have achieved a certain kind of iconic status, and to be a favorite (of mine at least) it should have preserved a very high level of quality throughout a significant portion of its run.

That standard hurts a lot of horror series that I enjoy but don't exactly respect, and again some films don't fit neatly into this construct. Is Blade Runner a franchise? Is Ghostbusters? I guess. But off the top of my head, these are the films that come to mind...

Iron Man/Captain America - This one is a bit of a cheat, since the Marvel universe has grown so big and enveloped so many characters. Still, I would argue that the Iron Man films and Captain America films have had the most distinct tones and character work. Robert Downey, Jr's cocksure Tony Stark has evolved considerably over three films and a myriad of side projects. It speaks volumes that I am already dreading the prospect of his character getting killed off in the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War, since his performance is one of the great stars of the last decade. Especially in the brooding Winter Soldier, but also in follow up films, the Captain America movies have been some of the only Marvel movies (until Black Panther) to address real world concerns is a smart way.

The original Star Wars trilogy - This trilogy is so good, so satisfying that to this day they loom like a shadow over not just every new Star Wars film but every pop action event film that has come in its wake. They are all paced wonderfully, flow into each other beautifully, and tell a simple accessible story in an engaging, exciting and heartfelt way. I discover new little moments I love every time I see them and they benefit enormously because of the limits of technology, their charm is in their shagginess.

The Godfather films - It's a popular punchline to pile on Part III, and while it in no way reaches the peaks of the original and its sequel, it is still a sumptuous, worthy gangster film. The first two films, however, are two of the best, most savage documents of American greed and hubris. I am still struck by the audaciousness of structuring an epic success story around a ruthless crime family. These are not good people, but you can't take your eyes off them.

The Ocean's trilogy - These are movies that I get sucked into whenever I see them. I stumble upon one of them on cable, I settle in and watch. The first one is a pop masterpiece. The second, I think, is  a misunderstood, experimental riff on the genre. And the third, is a loving, even sentimental send-off. Although these films only had a six year run, they were a wonderfully diverting source of joy for me at a time that was anything but joyful in the real world.

The Back to the Future movies - It's wild to me that these movies are so underrated. You'd have to live under a rock to be unfamiliar with the first one, which is just about as close to flawless a blockbuster can get, but I've also always been a fan of the weirder, darker Part II which has even more fun with the time travel premise. Sure, Part III feels less consequential, and I've watched it the least, but I still think it's a pretty fun little western movie and I like how it gives Doc Brown a romance of his own.

The Dark Knight trilogy - Although I'll always be more partial to Tim Burton's version of Batman, there's no denying the craft and thematic continuity of Christopher Nolan's trilogy of films about the Caped Crusader. I hold an unpopular opinion in that I enjoy the latter to movies more than Batman Begins, although I like that one too. These are epic, muscular, and yes, a little problematic films, but they are too interesting to be dismissed as pure genre fluff.

The Man with no Name films - The movies that made Clint Eastwood a legend are still the epitome of a kind of laconic 60's cool. In all three, Eastwood has never been more handsome and mysterious -- of course, he does have names in the films, sort of. But that's not the point. These films are all about style and sensational bursts of violence. The best Leone film -- Once Upon a Time in the West -- came after, but these three movies are probably the next greatest spaghetti westerns ever made.

Toy Story movies - These incredibly moving films have such a perfect arc (especially the third film) that I am a little troubled that a fourth film is on the way. Still, this is the sturdiest, most reliable series of animated films. Woody and Buzz have become our friends over twenty-plus years and their struggle to maintain their relevance is reflect of the human spirit at its most vulnerable. These movies are deep.

Mad Max series - There are some who have quibbles with Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, but I am a big fan of all three of George Miller's original post-apocalyptic Mad Max films starring Mel Gibson. And somehow, against the odds, his much-delayed fourth entry -- Mad Max: Fury Road -- is the best in my opinion. All of these films are action spectacles of the first order, but they also sneak in some subtle political commentary about our obsession with oil and the subjugation of the poor, which is not too shabby.

Rocky films - This franchise has always held a very special place in my heart. The original has always held special meaning for my wife and I, and I actually think all of the follow-ups except for the dreary part V are either genuinely good or great camp. For those keeping score Rocky II, Rocky Balboa and Creed are all solid to substantial sequels. Rocky III and Rocky IV are great but ludicrous, and part V is the dud. Whatever his flaws as a human being, Sylvester Stallone did create something inspirational and indelible with Rocky, and nothing will erase that.

Mission: Impossible - This is another series that has rarely ever erred as far as I'm concerned. Yes, Mission: Impossible II is bloated and dated, but the original is a Brian de Palma tour de force. The underrated Mission: Impossible III proved that J.J. Abrams was a legit big screen talent. And the last two entries -- Ghost Protocol and Rogue Nation -- have really upped the stunts ante to a fantastic degree despite their star's advanced age. I do honestly think Tom Cruise is going to die one day during the making of these, but what a run he's ad.

Indiana Jones - Speaking of advanced age. Sigh. I know that a lot of people can't get past the disappointment over the fourth entry (even that name is way too long) and while I don't revile that film as a much as some people, it definitely got a lot wrong about what fans loved so much about the first three adventure films. Who knows what this long gestating fifth entry will be, especially since Harrison Ford is pushing 80! But, these films are real landmarks for their time and the height of '80s roller-coaster filmmaking. Even though some of the cultural bits don't age well, these are some undeniably fun movies.

The new Planet of the Apes - I was as skeptical as anyone when this franchise got rebooted for a second time a few years ago, but modern technology and ambitious storytelling combined with a remarkable series of motion capture performances from Andy Serkis has led to a terrific series of intense action films. These films are so good that you sometimes lose sight of the insanity of watching CGI apes communicate with subtitles, and yet it somehow mostly works because these movies are committed to their premise and really sell it.

Alien 1-3/Terminator 1-3/Die Hard 1-3 - These are all series that just barely made the cut for me because I really like the first three installments of each of them. Sure, Terminator 3 is terminally stupid, but it's entertaining. And yes, Alien 3 suffers from studio interventions, it's still got some really great ideas and moments in it. All these series go seriously wrong in subsequent films and I fear will never recover their former glory.

James Bond - This is the most long-running, and in my opinion, consistently great franchise there is. It's weathered major casting changes and huge swings in style and taste to only emerge as vital and appealing as ever. Tremendous credit goes to the Daniel Craig era for rebranding and re-grounding the character for new generation. While I wish these films still came out at a brisk two-year clip, I appreciate how old fashioned these films are (real stunts) and how much it upholds the traditions set up for the series and its mercurial lead character. I will never tire of 007.

'Never Seen It' - Episode 33 - Is 'Troop Beverly Hills' a classic?

If you're a child of the 1980s like me, actress Shelley Long occupies a special, albeit curious place. She is often cited by critics as a cautionary tale of what happens when a sitcom star makes a misguided bid for big screen stardom.

She'll likely always be remembered first and foremost for her breakthrough role as Diane on Cheers, but the 1989 comedy Troop Beverly Hills certainly has its share of devotees.

It's for this reason specifically that my wife Elizabeth Rosado and I decided to watch it for our "Never Seen It" movie podcast. In this episode (our 33!) we try to determine whether this "cult classic" deserves its status as a fan favorite.



You can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes where all our previous episodes are currently available to download for free. Please give us a good rating and some nice comments so we're not just deluged with haters. Love you, bye!

Why I want to give 'Solo' a chance

Something sad has happened to a lot of Star Wars fans. They've become wildly cynical and impossible to please. Most will hold up A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back as flawless, with Return of the Jedi close behind with a few caveats. And then that's when things get complicated. There are those (like myself) who consider the prequels an unfortunate series of misfires, albeit with some nice moments here or there. Now, there are some who have tried to redeem them, something I thought I'd never live to see.

But when it comes to the new Star Wars films, which began with The Force Awakens in 2015, the chorus of criticism has been deafening.

The Force Awakens, which was at first received rapturously by fans was later widely dismissed as a retread of A New Hope. Rogue One was viewed with great suspicion because of a troubled production history but wound up being the most spared outing by the fanbase. And then came The Last Jedi, which has been the best critically received of any Star Wars film in decades and has been met with a mountain of derision from the faithful, most of which I would argue is unwarranted.

Put aside the blatant misogyny and nitpicking of some of these arguments -- the biggest complaint consistently levied against The Last Jedi that I've heard is that it wasn't what people were expecting, which should be, in my opinion, a strength, not a weakness.

Now, in a few months we'll have Solo, which has the unfortunate task of stepping into the fray amid a brewing backlash against this new iteration of Star Wars movies. People have already been up in arms about the casting (I, for one, believe Alden Ehrenreich is a great choice), the production woes (the original directors were fired and replaced with Ron Howard) and the earlier trailers (which I think sound and look fantastic).

There seems to be a real tamped down enthusiasm for this project, and worse, a presumption that it's going to be bad before anyone has even seem it.

How does this not look fun?

Certainly, the project is a risk. It's the first time Han Solo is going to be portrayed on screen by anyone other than the iconic Harrison Ford. It's unclear how this film will fit into the pre-established narrative set forth by the original trilogy and bookended by Rogue One. And, the authorship issues certainly suggest that the movie could wind up being a mess.

But, I also think an original story Han Solo film has so much potential and if it is just a one-off romp, it could be a fun little detour to wet our whistle while we wait for the conclusion of the current trilogy featuring Rey, Poe and Finn.

At this point I'm genuinely curious what Star Wars fans actually want anymore. I certainly can respect an argument that too much Star Wars might not be such a good thing, we're at a pace of a new of these films every year, and while the Marvel movies have managed to pull off several interwoven blockbusters a year, something about it doesn't feel right with Star Wars.

That being said, I have no problem with the rollout of Disney's new films so far. I'm a little curious what they plan to do next, once they finish the follow-up to The Last Jedi. A young Lando spin-off film perhaps? Since Donald Glover's casting as that lovable scoundrel seems to be the only choice not being met with fire and fury. I don't know. One of the things I really loved about The Last Jedi was it's willingness to suggest that there's a larger canvas out there worst exploring, as opposed to zeroing in on the narrow legacies of Skywalkers and Solos.

But unfortunately it was that tentative stab at world building that seemed to get fans so bent of shape, and so now I wonder if Disney won't pull back and continue to make safe fan service movies instead.

Now I'm all for a Kenobi trilogy with Ewan McGregor -- don't get me wrong. But I just wish there was a willingness to make the most of this moment of creativity and talent, since for commercial reasons these movies are getting made no matter what.

If Solo turns out to be a flop, I will be bummed just like every other diehard Star Wars fan. At this stage, I think it'll be the first film of its kind not to top the year's box office because I don't see it becoming a phenomenon on par with Black Panther, or even the new Avengers film.

But my hope is that it's a fresh, amusing and fun film, that reminds us one more time why we loved Han Solo so much in the first place, without stomping to heavily upon those memories.

'Never Seen It' - Episode 32 - Is the 'Man from U.N.C.L.E.' just meh?

I had been hearing about an attempt to bring a movie version of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. to the big screen. The early word was that director Steven Soderbergh and his frequent leading man of choice, George Clooney, were going to team up to make it -- which got me very excited, but that film never came to be, and instead we got this 2015 Guy Ritchie picture which united a newer generation of hunks -- Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer (alongside Oscar winner Alicia Vikander).

I skipped the movie when it came out and so did my wife Elizabeth Rosado, but since a few people whose opinions we respect have been recommending it recently, we've decided to do one our "Never Seen It" podcast episodes about it.

Click on the YouTube link below to listen to this episode, and be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes where all our previous episodes are currently available to download for free.


Also, on a personal note -- for those of you have been listening, thank you. And for those of you who have taken me to task for being a jerk on this podcast -- I hear you and will retool... my personality.

'Thoroughbreds' is a good film that falls just shy of greatness

It look me a few moments to understand fully why the new dark satire Thoroughbreds didn't totally work for me, especially since it contains so many elements I like -- some strong performances (particularly from the promising Anya Taylor-Joy and a scene-stealing one from the late Anton Yelchin), striking cinematography, black humor and a twisted plot. There is much to like about Thoroughbreds, but ultimately its Achille's heel is its uneven tone. It seeks to mock a very specific breed of privileged, white bourgeoise -- not unlike last year's Ingrid Goes West -- but unlike that film, which committed to being a breezy, mainstream comedy with the occasional hints of menace, this movie can't seem to make up its mind about whether it wants to make you laugh or scare you.

Unfortunately, it's not quite funny or shocking enough to be a game-changer, although the last act in particular introduces more depth to everything that's transpired earlier in the film and made me curious to see the next film from its writer-director Cory Finley, whose debut this is.

It's not the Heathers-esque romp that the trailers have advertised. Although it does revolve around teens who decide to seriously contemplate and then pursue murder, it's essentially a very deadpan character study about a popular girl who's home life leaves much to be desired (Taylor-Joy) and her unlikely friend, a self-diagnosed sociopath played almost too well by Olivia Cooke.

I say "too well" because Cooke's monotonous, unemotional, slow roll of a performance, while amusing at times, can also be a drag, making this stark and spare 90-minute film feel much longer than it has to.

The film is also hampered by its oddly incongruent score, which seems to be consistently hinting at a horror movie climax that never quite comes.

Still, there is a lot to admire about this movie. It does have some well-earned laughs and hypnotic camera work. It's a real testament to Yelchin's talent and charm (he's on-screen far too little for my tastes) and Taylor-Joy proves that after The Witch and Split, and now this, she has all the elements to become a major movie star. Besides being drop dead gorgeous, she is incredibly watchable because she is such an open and expressive actress. Although Cooke has more jokey lines, Taylor-Joy has the tougher, more nuanced role here.

I also really liked Paul Sparks' performance at Taylor-Joy's nasty father-in-law. His role could have been a nothing, an easy foil for the two lead women -- but instead, he actually gets to do some brilliant under-playing and delivers something akin to the movie's thesis statement when you least expect it.

This is a film that may grow in my esteem with some time and distance, there's too much quality writing and craftsmanship on display to just dismiss it wholesale, and of course, this time of year is usually the dregs when it comes to original cinema, so anything even relatively fresh or imaginative right now is welcome.

Although, I will say the emphasis for me is on 'relatively' -- since films about ennui among the white elite is not exactly brand new territory, and after the Black Panther phenomenon, can feel a little lacking.

Thoroughbreds, I think, wants to be making a grand statement about millennial malaise, and it may be onto something that a slightly better film may eventually capture to perfection.

Flashback 1988: My top 10 favorite films from 30 years ago

Amid the harsh reaction to this year's Oscars from everyone from casual film fans to our erratic president, who apparently thinks there aren't "stars" anymore -- I thought I'd bury my head in the sand a bit and take a look backwards by a few decades.

1988 was an interesting year for the movies, in part because it took place in the shadow of a massive writer's strike which took both a creative and financial toll on the film and television business.

I was 6 years old, and while far from a regular moviegoer, some of my earliest memories of seeing a movie in theaters comes from roughly around this time.

In fact, I saw one of the films on this list on the big screen and it left a very strong impression on me at the time, but more on that later.

This was a tough list to whittle down for me, but I think this would be my top 10 for 1988 if I was force to choose.

10) Mississippi Burning - This film was polarizing and controversial when it came out 30 years ago and would likely be eviscerated today for foregrounding the story of two white FBI agents in the fictionalized version of the historic investigation into the murder of a group of activists at the height of the Civil Rights Movement, but counterpoint is that the film is a brilliant look at white attitudes about race -- the full spectrum from liberal condescension to pure vicious hate -- and its towering performances from Gene Hackman, Willem Dafoe and Frances McDormand, among others, more than justify its existence. It's a powerful, if narrowly focused film, that packs an emotional wallop.

9) The Last Temptation of Christ - The best film about religious dedication and faith I've probably ever seen and a real passion project for my favorite director, Martin Scorsese. Another excellent Willem Dafoe performance anchors this film about a more flawed, more human Jesus than cinema has ever dared to present, which to my mind makes him the most compelling. This is an ambitious and absorbing film that asks a lot of its viewers, but if you surrender to its highly literate and deeply serious tone, you might find it to be as moving and transcendent a film as I do.

8) Rain Man - If you put stars Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise's off-screen misdeeds aside (and I respect that some can't), this film features some of their best, most emotional work. Cruise finally starts to shed some of his flash as he plays a pretty repulsive person who grows to truly love and respect his autistic brother. Hoffman uses all sort of tics and physicality in his Oscar winning performance, but if there wasn't real vulnerability and feeling conveyed on screen this drama wouldn't work. It's a funny road movie that's instantly quotable and oft-parodied, but few could deny how sweet that shot of Hoffman and Cruise touching heads is.

Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man

7) They Live - Unfortunately this wildly funny satire has become a bit of an overused meme, appropriated by people who either don't get it or want to capitalize on its cult cool. It is very much a John Carpenter film in that is old-fashioned and looking to the future at the same time. A totally bonkers sci-fi trip about a culture secretly infiltrated by aliens pushing consumerism that stars a not totally bad Rowdy Roddy Piper in the lead role. It's an awesomely 80s pastiche that has stood the test of time simply because its central conceit is so timeless.

6) The Naked Gun - The first and the funniest of Leslie Nielsen's three sublimely silly outings as the clueless Lt. Frank Drebin of Police Squad. This is broad, gags-based humor at its best. The absurd plot manages to provide the indelible image of Reggie Jackson trying to assassinate the queen of England, but the real joy of this film has little to do with its story and more its rapid fire pace of puns, put-ons and pratfalls, all of which are so delightfully goofy that this film almost always makes feel like a kid again every time I see it.

5) Who Framed Roger Rabbit? - So this was the movie I was referring to earlier -- I saw this animation-live action hybrid classic when i was a child in theaters, and boy did it scare the crap out of me, but I also loved it. I don't know that I fully processed its clever narrative about Los Angeles and its villain's nefarious scheme to ... build a freeway! I was just blown away by all the creativity and affection for classic animated characters on screen, culminating with a whimsical rendition of "Smile Darn Ya Smile" in the rousing finale. They don't make 'em like this anymore.

4) A Fish Called Wanda - John Cleese expertly transplanted the Monty Python style of humor into a mainstream caper comedy and wound up with a breakout hit. He's never been more charming. Kevin Kline has never been funnier and Jamie Lee Curtis has never been sexier. Meanwhile, Michael Palin's plotline (which results in many, many unintentionally maimed pets) is gut-bustingly funny. The movie functions as both a spoof of uptight, upper-crust Britishness and as a genuinely entertaining heist picture.

3) Die Hard - There is a case to be made that this is the best action film ever made. It certainly has permanently changed how these kinds of films are structured and cast. Bruce Willis was not only capable of acknowledging and playing the comedy of his crisis as a lone cop stuck in a high rise amid a terrorist attack, but he also was willing to be vulnerable in a way most genre stars often weren't at the time. The sequels and the rip-offs have never diminished the power of this perfectly structured popcorn film, which benefits enormously from one of the great villains of all time --Alan Rickman's Hans Gruber.

2) Beetlejuice - This was the film where Tim Burton really came into his own, backed by a stellar cast featuring Michael Keaton in one of his best and most iconic roles -- "the ghost with the most," Beetlejuice. Probably the best comedy to use supernatural elements other than Ghostbusters, its endlessly inventive and memorable, with a striking look and infectious soundtrack. For a movie about death its incredibly upbeat and lighthearted. For years now, Keaton and Burton have teased the prospect of a sequel, but something tells me that this one was just a case of catching lightning in a bottle.

1) Coming to America - I just recently wrote about this Eddie Murphy blockbuster, but I could talk about it all day. It's one of my favorite comedies ever -- it is one of my favorite romantic movies ever. It's gut-bustingly hilarious but also a wonderful vehicle for a celebration of black excellence -- from the costumes and choreography to the richness of the who's who of African-American performers who all turn in winning supporting turns. Murphy was never able to quite reach this height of perfection again, but his multi-character performance here should go in a time capsule as probably the best evidence of his genius.

PAST TOP 10 FAVORITE LISTS
1974 #1 movie - The Godfather Part II
1975 #1 movie - Nashville
1976 #1 movie - Taxi Driver
1977 #1 movie - Star Wars
1984 #1 movie - Ghostbusters
1985 #1 movie - Fletch
1986 #1 movie - Blue Velvet
1987 #1 movie - The Untouchables
1994 #1 movie - Pulp Fiction
1995 #1 movie - Heat
1996:#1 movie - Fargo
1997 #1 movie - Boogie Nights
1998 #1 movie - The Big Lebowski
2004 #1 movie - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
2005 #1 movie - A History of Violence
2006 #1 movie - Casino Royale
2007 #1 movie - There Will Be Blood
2008 #1 movie - The Wrestler

Less montages, more speeches and other Oscars hot takes

So after much hype, and endless predictions -- including a handful of my own -- the 90th Academy Awards have come and gone. I expect to hear the inevitable quibbling over who won and who should've won.

I expect to see the inevitable headline about how the ratings have dropped to another all-time low (which is inevitable because of how people consume media nowadays). And I expect the usual griping about how long the show is -- even though it's really those montages of every movie ever made that weigh it down, not the often very touching speeches.

Now, I actually enjoyed this year's Oscars quite a bit. Jimmy Kimmel was smoother and funnier his second time around. I was glad he kept the forced viral moment hijinks to a minimum and he settled into a relaxed, sardonic vibe that suited the tone of the evening (quite a far cry from Seth MacFarlane's infamously tone deaf "you showed your boobs" number from a couple years back).

And while my favorite films of the year hardly dominated the proceedings, I was happy to see Get Out get justly rewarded for its original screenplay and to see Blade Runner 2049's incredible cinematography get recognized as well.

As for The Shape of Water's big win -- I can't say I was surprised. It was probably the closest thing to a consensus choice and the film least likely to offend anyone. Director Guillermo del Toro is a sweetheart and impossible not to like, and he made a lovely, offbeat little fairy tale that felt both deeply personal and widely accessible.

I for one hope it does not get the inevitable backlash that so many other recent Best Picture winners have received. So many recent winners of the top prize from Chicago to The Departed to Crash to The Artist to Birdman and Argo have since been slammed as mediocre or terrible, even though I really enjoy some of those movies.

It almost seems better not to win Best Picture, because if you do it's like you have an automatic target on your back. If you are viewed as robbed (it can almost add to your film's mystique.

Hell, even Citizen Kane didn't win Best Picture.

Of course, there will be the inevitable discussion about whether this pageant is even relevant anymore. I will go on record saying I think it is.

The Shape of Water will inevitably get a boost at the box office. This year's Oscars did really earnestly try to make amends on past transgressions in terms of sexism, abuse and discrimination -- and while one show won't make up for decades of malfeasance, I thought it was a step in the right direction.

I know there are those will say that they are boycotting the show because Hollywood marginalizes marginalized people -- and they're not entirely wrong -- but I would argue almost every industry marginalizes minorities, and this is at least one we can exert some influence over with our dollars and sense.

For instance, Black Panther had better be represented at next year's awards, not just because it is such a commercial and creative feat, but because it is a great, smart film that is worthy of getting recognized.

And hopefully, last night demonstrated that every work of art is enhanced by inclusion, not harmed by it.https://adamhas2manymovies2watch.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-artist-and-other-most-overrated.html