The Addams Family (2019)

I was worried that this version of the longtime satirical weirdos would be defanged by being a film made with a children’s audience in mind. I need not have been worried. This animated installment of the franchise doesn’t rise to the levels of the earlier, live-action films from the early ‘90s—still classics of the dark humor genre to my mind—but it delivers enough genuine laughs that anyone can feel comfortable with this version of the characters. The standout, as usual, is Wednesday; she seems to be the character the whole concept revolves around, and as such all the best moments belong to her and her story. There are some faults; the humor could be a bit more dry and droll in places, and a few musical choices could be better. (Honestly, does every even vaguely creative work now need to be drenched in rap music?) Plus, the denouement is a bit timid, probably due to the family nature of the target audience; you’d like to see the villain hit a little harder in the end, but ... you know, the kids. Still, there’s enough to like here that the flaws can be overlooked. It may not be a total snap, but this is at least a song that’s catchy enough.

Bombshell (2019)

I can't resist the hot blonde chicks. Apparently, that was Roger Ailes' premise, too. He and Rupert Murdoch built a media juggernaut--and quite literally changed the world--using mostly the power of the flaxen-haired. This work would have you believe that Ailes was a tremendous creep, and that his media machinations happened at a tremendous cost to the well-formed mannequins employed by FOX News. The former premise seems plausible--though, as this movie itself makes clear, it's easy to cast a guy who was substantially less easy on the eyes than Megyn Kelly as a monster (I'm familiar with that reality myself). The latter premise is questionable, or at least this flick does not do a fully successful job of making that case. For certain, it does not raise the point of the Faustian bargain that these women made. It's hard to imagine that any gal grows up looking that attractive (Kelly and Gretchen Carlson are undeniably good-looking, regardless of their work as political spokesmodels) and doesn't know by the time she's 17 years old that doors open for her that would otherwise be closed to others less endowed by nature with looks (to say nothing of more or less talent). None of these women would have been there--and reaped years of benefits--without their looks, and what those looks meant to others (read: males) who employed or watched them. It also doesn't help that the movie's liberal viewpoint is bluntly apparent throughout (and voiced by Theron's Kelly, which comes across as somewhat false), and thereby distracts from what would otherwise be a more effective (dare one say, fair and balanced) indictment of Ailes and the whole operation. Oh, well--at least most of the scenes feature visuals that are nice to look at.

I, Tonya

OK, maybe blondes don't always win. But I'd still make them the betting favorites in most scenarios. It takes a lot of negatives imposed upon the flaxen-haired to hold them back; apparently, Tonya Harding lived under a rain of negatives (not unusual in the Pacific Northwest--certainly the rain part). This film makes a fairly convincing case that she achieved something of a miracle to accomplish as much as she did. That message, if it is an intentional argument of this movie, barely comes through, thanks to one huge filmmaking mistake: a lot of distractingly untimely music on the soundtrack. If you were alive back then, it's pretty easy to notice and glaringly obvious that none of the "needledrops" are contemporaneous with the story. In most cases, that would be a minor issue--but here the music is so front and center that you have to think it's intentional, and that some message is meant by it. If it's trying to appeal to a certain demographic, that seems rather pointless, and undercuts any sense that this story could have a universal appeal. If it's trying to tell the story through the music--there's reason to believe that--the effect comes across as less clever and insightful and more clumsy. The whole issue obscures a movie that could have relied upon its host of strong performances; all of the principals acquit themselves quite well, and the tale itself does have broad interest woven into its very fabric. But the ultimate impression is one of filmmakers who didn't really trust their own story--and thus, as a viewer, you're left to wonder how much trust and interest you should invest in these proceedings. Ultimately, they didn't even nail the compulsories, let alone the artistic program. Not bad, but not on the medal stand, either.

Finding Nemo

Hate to say it, but this isn't as good as you think it is. The film is technically brilliant, of course; Pixar has that template down pat now. And the vocal performances are well done. But there are a lot of elements here which seem stale and recycled (the goofy sidekick, the motley collection of friends, even the Disney staple of the dead parent). If you've been paying attention, you have to feel like you're being suckered. If you're as uncritical as a child, then sure, go ahead. But adults might have a harder time swallowing these fish sticks.

Drop Dead Gorgeous

An often hilarious look at beauty contests. Check this one out, regardless for your tolerance of sequins and parade waves.

10 Things I Hate About You

I can't really justify it, but I actually did like this movie. I guess I'm just a sucker for Shakespeare in any form (it's based on The Taming of the Shrew).