Easy Money (1983) * * * *

Directed by:  James Signorelli

Starring:  Rodney Dangerfield, Joe Pesci, Candy Azzara, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Taylor Negron, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Jeffrey Jones, Val Avery, Tom Noonan, Lili Haydn

Rodney Dangerfield, the famously disheveled comedian, is the perfect fit for Monty Capuletti, a Staten Island baby photographer who drinks too much, smokes too much, gambles, canoodles with strippers, and stays out too late.    His rich mother-in-law is appalled by him, although his wife and daughters love him.    His mother-in-law dies in a plane crash and leaves Monty and his family $10 million, if he can refrain from all of his vices for one year.    Monty needs a beer and cigarette to decide if wants to undergo this endeavor, in typical Monty fashion.

Easy Money is Dangerfield's best film, not just because it is funny, but because the supporting cast gets in on the fun too.    Rodney spreads the wealth around, and some of the subplots are as hilarious as the main event.    There are inspired gags and one-liners, along with some jokes which filmmakers wouldn't dare put in a movie today.   ("Call me when you're this")   You'll see what I mean.

Dangerfield is the lovable everyman with a zinger for any occasion.    He is such a regular guy his scheming cousin Clive (Jones) hires him as a "fashion consultant" to promote "The Regular Guy Look", in hopes its failure would drive Monty to drink and lose the inheritance which would then be bequeathed to Clive.    Monty's friends, including the hot-tempered Nicky (Pesci) support him, but that doesn't stop them from smoking, drinking, and overeating in front of Monty.   

Another riotous subplot involves Monty's daughter Allison (Leigh), a virgin who marries Puerto Rican gang member Julio (Negron) ("it's a good boys' gang, they help people") and ditches him on their wedding night.    Julio's attempts to win back Allison border on pathetic, but they are quite amusing.    The wedding itself is a riot, with an aerial view of the reception taking place in Monty's backyard that must be the funniest aerial shot ever put on film.

The closest Dangerfield came to recreating the Easy Money magic is Back to School (1986), while his other movies failed to reach the bar Easy Money set, mostly because they had weak plots and expected Dangerfield to save the day with his sheer presence.    His comic presence is inimitable and considerable, but Easy Money surrounds him with strong supporting players to make a complete comedy.

The Stepford Wives (2004) * * *

Directed by:  Frank Oz

Starring:  Nicole Kidman, Matthew Broderick, Glenn Close, Christopher Walken, Bette Midler, Jon Lovitz, Faith Hill, Roger Bart

The Stepford Wives chooses to go for satire and laughs, a wise move.    This is a silly plot, but we're hooked because the movie doesn't drown us in seriousness or bang us over the head with
gender politics.   The 1975 version based on the Ira Levin novel was a horror film in which
a town's women are transformed into obedient robots who act as servants for their husbands.
The same thing here, but this Stepford Wives has more fun with the possibilities, including
one wife who can be used as an ATM and others controlled by golden remote control
devices which include reverse and fast forward.

To the men of Stepford, these women are perfect.   They all look like blonde swimsuit models, and don't argue, talk back, or in any way threaten their fragile manhood.    What level of insecurity
must one have to agree to turn his wife into a robot?    Wouldn't it get boring after a while?
Not to these men, led by Mike (Walken) who runs the Stepford Men's Club where the members
smoke stogies, play golf, and brag about how their women keep their homes spotless.
Joanna (Kidman) and Walter (Broderick) are new to Stepford, moving there after Joanna is
fired from running a TV network and the meeker Walter, who worked under her as a token
vice-president, resigns in protest.    Joanna had a nervous breakdown following her firing, so
her claims of seeing one woman "sparking" could be dismissed as part of her mental
fragility. 

The homes of Stepford are immaculate mansions, the landscaping perfectly manicured, and the women behave and dress as if they time traveled from the 1950's.    The town's most prominent woman, Claire Wellington (Close) encourages this behavior and leads exercise classes with the
woman wearing dresses and heels.   Joanna finds kindred spirits in Bobbie (Midler), a famed writer
whose house is still a mess (thank goodness) and Roger (Bart), a flamboyant gay man unimpressed with the town's fashion sense.    But soon, and probably inevitably, Bobbie and Roger are
morphed into robots themselves, leaving Joanna as the lone holdout.

Kidman is a sympathetic heroine, keen to the idea that her husband feels overshadowed by her.
Like the main character in Levin's Rosemary's Baby, she is stuck in the unenviable position of being the only person who knows the truth and can't find anyone to believe her.    Broderick gives us a loyal, sympathetic Walter whose meekness makes him easy pickings for Mike's suggestions.    Mike is a tailor-made Walken role, while Close is still bursting with secrets even though the biggest one
is right out in front.

Written by Paul Rudnick and efficiently directed by Frank Oz, who has developed quite a strong satire resume, The Stepford Wives is briskly paced and trims the fat.    Not that there is much
on these Stepford women.

Downton Abbey (2019) * * *

Directed by:  Michael Engler

Starring:  Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Dockery, Maggie Smith, Elizabeth McGovern, Jim Carter, Laura Carmichael, Matthew Goode, Phyllis Logan, Penelope Wilton, Simon Jones, Brendan Coyle

I went into Downton Abbey cold.   I never saw an episode and thankfully the filmmakers gave us a five-minute recap before the opening credits so I could at least have some clue as to who did what to whom.    I can't say I could fully follow everything covered in the recap, but I'm pleased to report
I enjoyed Downton Abbey and its lightweight, soap opera material.    I have no doubt the six preceding seasons delved much deeper into its characters, but as a neophyte to this world, Downton Abbey is a charming introduction.   For anglophiles who just adored the series, this is delicious icing
on the cake; momentarily satisfying but nothing that would be remembered in a month.

The story concerning the family and staff which reside at Downton Abbey circa late 1920's is the expected arrival of King George V and wife Mary of Teck.   Tensions arise when the house staff is supplanted by the king's personal staff, including a chef, butler, and a multitude of servants.   The Abbey staff is forced to gnash their teeth and sit on the sidelines as the interlopers rudely take over, but the Abbey servants, who serve their employers with pride, plot to rid themselves of the king's staff and serve the royals themselves. 

As for the Crawley family which occupies the upstairs of Downton Abbey, there are squabbles of their own to contend with, including a cousin who wants to bequeath her wealth to her maid, which causes consternation with Violet, the Dowager Countess (Smith), the comic relief of the film along with her counterpart who throw zingers at each other and make asides about the action with great zeal.   They remind me of the two old guys in the balcony in The Muppets who crack jokes about everyone.

With all of the characters and plotlines, Downton Abbey doesn't confuse us or madden us with
inside jokes or references.    This is a smart play.   Why create a Downton Abbey feature film just for loyal viewers?    Now, am I intrigued enough to go back and binge watch the previous seasons on-demand?   I'll get back to you on that.

The Hurt Locker (2009) * * *

Directed by:  Kathryn Bigelow

Starring:  Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Ralph Fiennes, Guy Pearce, David Morse, Evangeline Lilly

The prologue of The Hurt Locker is a simple quote: "War is a drug," taken from an article written in the New York Times.   Staff Sgt. William James (Renner), a bomb disposal expert in war-torn Iraq, is the reason such a quote was made.    The adrenaline rush James feels when he is so dangerously close to being killed is one which can't be replicated during R & R or in civilian life.    Once the rush is acquired, he looks for ways to top his previous high.   The scary part is that James may not even know this about himself.   

Kathryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker, which won six Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director (the only Best Director Oscar so far for a female director), centers its story around Sgt. James and his unit, who don't have the same zest for danger that James does.    Sgt. Sanborn (Mackie), the leader of the unit which provides cover for James when he defusing bombs, is less than thrilled with James' reckless nature.    At one point, he punches James in the face for taking off his headset during a tricky defusing.

Jeremy Renner, nominated for a Best Actor Oscar as James, doesn't play James as an overly manic or zealous gung-ho soldier.    He seems like a nice enough guy, but when he gets in the zone after locating a mine or a complex bomb, he goes to work almost gleefully.   It's his job, yes, but it takes a particular personality to be able to face such imminent danger day after day.   There are times in which the bomber is nearby watching James with a detonator in hand.   James knows this, and this ratchets up the tension another notch.

Renner delicately handles a complex personality like James.   He may not be aware of his addiction to battle, but his comrades sure are.    They are counting down the days until their tour is over and they can go home, if they make it out alive.   James counts down also, but we get the feeling he will be back for another go-round.   Shopping at the supermarket stateside doesn't quite have the same appeal for him.

The technical merits of The Hurt Locker are superb.   It has a documentary-like feel for its subjects, and the visuals of an Iraq devastated by conflict are authentic.    I must admit the movie slows in some spots, dragging out the tension so long we grow impatient.   The Hurt Locker doesn't have a plot, per se, just a series of scenes in which James encountering a bomb and racing against time to defuse it.    Does this become monotonous?   At times, it does, but as a character study of a multi-layered individual like Sgt. James, The Hurt Locker works best. 

Tin Men (1987) * * * *

Directed by:  Barry Levinson

Starring:  Richard Dreyfuss, Danny DeVito, Barbara Hershey, John Mahoney, Bruno Kirby, Richard Portnow, Jackie Cayle, Stanley Brock, J.T. Walsh

Barry Levinson vividly remembers the Baltimore of his youth and lovingly recreates its vitality in Diner (1982) and Tin Men, which is less about feuding aluminum siding salesmen and more about what makes them tick.   Each is under enough pressure trying to make a living pressuring suckers into buying high-priced aluminum siding.  Then BB crashes his brand new Cadillac into Ernest's Cadillac just as BB pulls his fresh off the lot, and the pressures now multiply tenfold.

Ernest and BB point the finger at each other and swear revenge.   At first, it is tit for tat stuff, with BB smashing Ernest's headlights and Ernest escalating matters by smashing out BB's windows.   BB decides to go for what he thinks is the jugular, which is wooing Ernest's wife Nora (Hershey) and sleeping with her.   This backfires when BB calls Ernest to boast and finds out Ernest can't stand her anyway.    BB is now stuck with Ernest's wife living in his apartment with him, which is something a lifelong single guy like him is hardly used to.   Ernest has mounting issues of his own, such as $4,000 owed to the IRS in back taxes and a sales slump which may cost him his job.

If BB and Ernest have anything in common, besides Nora, is that each is under the microscope of a newly formed Home Improvement Commission looking to make a name for itself by exposing the scams BB and Ernest perpetrate on unsuspecting consumers.    In one instance, BB and his partner Moe (Mahoney) trick a homeowner into thinking her home will be featured in Life magazine in an unflattering light, unless of course she purchases $4,000 worth of siding.

BB's problems worsen when he realizes he may be in love with Nora, and he would love very much for her not to find out they met under dubious circumstances.    In a way, meeting Ernest may turn out to be the best thing to happen to BB.   Levinson presents BB and Ernest fairly.   We like them both and forgive them their trespasses.    Neither is the hero or the villain, just two guys who deal with life the only way they know how.    Levinson doesn't stop there.    He allows us a peek into their world, and we are treated to scenes of rich dialogue between BB, Ernest, and their respective colleagues.   They don't just talk about aluminum siding.    One guy points out the oddities of Bonanza, ("It's about a 50 year old guy and his three 47 year old sons,"), and another marvels about how great a dancer BB is. 

Tin Men is full of life, energy, and eventually heart.   We hope everything turns out okay for them, and we also wish BB and Ernest would understand they could be friends instead of fighting over their respective Cadillac status symbols.   

Joker (2019) * * * *

Directed by:  Todd Phillips

Starring:  Joaquin Phoenix, Robert DeNiro, Zasie Beetz, Frances Conroy, Brett Cullen

Arthur Fleck laughs, sometimes inappropriately, so that he may not cry.   Or kill.   Even if Joker were not an origins story about Batman's greatest nemesis, Joker would still be a gritty and riveting tale of an ordinary man teetering on the edge of sanity.    Borrowing in spirit from Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy, Joker's Arthur Fleck is a professional clown engaged in daily conflict with his demons.    He was once institutionalized, he regularly visits an overworked social worker in a messy office, and takes seven different medications to battle his various psychological ailments.    As Joker opens, he is mugged while performing a sidewalk gig holding up a "going out of business" sign.    Things don't get any better for him.

Arthur takes care of his ailing mother, who once worked for Thomas Wayne (Cullen), the billionaire industrialist and father of Bruce who is running for mayor of early 1980's Gotham.  The city is in the midst of a sanitation workers' strike and is overflowing with bags of garbage left untouched on its streets.    Tensions in Gotham are escalating to nightmarish proportions, and this mirrors the tensions within Arthur himself.    A co-worker sells Arthur a gun so he can protect himself at his gigs, which is akin to giving an arsonist gasoline and a match.

Arthur's hellish life drifts into focus.   He finds a measure of relief in a budding romance with his neighbor Sophie (Beetz), who smiles at him in the elevator and doesn't appear to be turned off by his generally creepy demeanor.    When faced with a scary situation or potential conflict, Arthur laughs maniacally and uncontrollably.    He attributes it to his past physical and psychological trauma, and he isn't wrong.

How Arthur ties into, or doesn't tie into the Wayne family is soon explained.    We see how, in Arthur's world, not everything is what it seems.    His fragile state of mind leaves open the question as to what is real and what isn't.    One night on the subway, Arthur kills three yuppie creeps and finds elation in the act.   It is the release he has sought, and soon finds violence is his nature.    Through all this, we still sympathize with him, because while he clearly grows into a psychopath, we have to suspect it is due at least in part to past abuse and an altogether sad existence.  

Nothing Joaquin Phoenix has done before prepared me for his excellent work here.    I've enjoyed and appreciated him in Gladiator, Walk the Line, The Sisters Brothers, We Own the Night, and a few other films throughout his long career.    Other times, I wasn't much moved by him because I couldn't get a sense of who was inside.    He knew the words, but not the music.   His Arthur Fleck is sad, monosyllabic, inarticulate, and full of seething rage.    He cannot verbalize fully how trapped he feels, how his afflictions have hindered him, and how cannot break free without resorting to relenting to his crueler, violent nature.  

The Gotham of Todd Phillips' film is filthy, ugly, and unsightly.   The skies are gray.   Even the interiors are gray and dirty.   There isn't much sunshine, and what little exists is seen through windows from the inside.    There is much happiness to be found here, but the effect isn't depressing, but instead adds atmosphere.    Arthur's dreams of stand-up comedy fame intersect with TV talk show host Murray Franklin (DeNiro), whom Arthur idolizes.   Murray's show, which resembles Johnny Carson's Tonight Show right down to the multi-colored curtain from which Murray and his guests emerge, attempts to bring at least some semblance of joy to the increasingly turbulent Gotham.   It also attracts people like Arthur to hang around its periphery yearning to belong.

There are an abundance of reports and columns concerning the violence in Joker and how it stigmatizes the mentally ill as repugnant and violent.    I don't agree that Joker is any more violent than other films.  (Apparently no such uproar was made about Rambo: Last Blood, which was almost violence porn).    Joker has its share of blood and violence, but the violent scenes are isolated and contain their own individual reasons for their existence, most as a tragic form of release for Arthur.
Joker is Arthur's individual story, and doesn't purport to be an allegory about society's treatment of the mentally ill or how the mentally ill are more prone to violent acts.    Joker is instead a story told with superb craftsmanship and anchored by a Phoenix performance which hits all the right notes about an odd, tormented, yet still sympathetic character.    The story of The Joker is so fully and expertly realized that I hope it isn't watered down with an unnecessary sequel.

Weekend at Bernie's (1989) * *

Directed by:  Ted Kotcheff

Starring:  Andrew McCarthy, Jonathan Silverman, Catherine Mary Stewart, Terry Kiser, Catherine Parks, Don Scalfa

Weekend at Bernie's is a one-joke movie which tries its best to sustain that joke for ninety-plus minutes.    However, there are only so many ways you can retell the same gag before it all feels repetitive.    The actors energetically approach the material, and Terry Kiser does very well with what looks easy but isn't; he plays dead.

The plot centers around two guys who discover their boss is dead when they arrive at his beach house for the weekend.    How did Bernie (Kiser) wind up dead?   The guys, Larry (McCarthy) and Richard (Silverman) are analysts at a New York financial firm run by Bernie.    They discover that someone is defrauding the company out of millions and take their findings to Bernie, who of course is the one doing the defrauding.    Bernie invites them up to his house for the weekend while plotting to have them killed and frame them for the fraud.    Bernie's mob friends decide to kill Bernie instead, because he is getting sloppy and he is banging the boss' girl. 

Bernie is offed before Larry and Richard arrive, and instead of calling the police, they decide to pretend Bernie is still alive through contrivances too numerous to mention.    Bernie is bumped around like a rag doll by the guys and people think he's still alive and just very wasted.    Bernie's beach friends are so shallow, they don't realize Bernie is deceased.    Bernie's girl shows up and complicates matters by trying to have sex with him.    The payoff is not what you would expect, falling somewhere between icky and incredulous.

Alas, Weekend at Bernie's is a recycling of the same joke which is amusing at first, but of course grows tiresome.    You would think all of the comic possibilities of this plot would've been exhausted, but four years later, there came Weekend at Bernie's 2, of which I only watched a few minutes.    In that one, the story is supposed to pick up days after the conclusion of this movie, but the four years in between sequels hit the guys pretty hard, and they look considerably older.    Bernie, however, still looks damn good for a guy who has been dead for a week.