Golda (2022). Helen Mirren is a fantastic actress, she does a marvelous job in this movie, and her makeup is impeccable. The movie itself is very mediocre. The worst part: it’s tries to be “artsy” and it fails. It’s not as terrible as 7 Days in Entebbe which I reviewed last year, but it’s still not very good. Just as hamfisted and in your face. Lots of close-ups (we get to experience every inch of Mirren’s prosthetic skin), lots of cigarettes (it almost stank up my living room), and crazy dream sequences. The battle scenes (the actual story of the Yom Kippur War had enough material to rival Fury) are limited to a few historical footage snippets. At least its moral stance is undisputed. When I heard about this movie, I thought to myself: “I bet Liev Schreiber will play Kissinger.” And I was right. But all of this yields to a very real issue: watching this movie in late 2023 is like watching a newsreel. We are witnessing ALL OF THIS TODAY, in real time, on our computers, phones, and TVs – in the Gaza War. Just like 50 years ago, there was a terrible threat that was ignored by the government. Just like 50 years ago, Israel is fighting for its survival. Just like 50 years ago, Israel fights off the invaders and can crush its enemy once and for all – but the outside forces are holding Israel back. We will see if the current situation has a happy ending like Golda did but I am skeptical. And Netanyahu is not nearly as sympathetic as Golda Meir was. 6/10
======
Maestro (2023). OK, let's the obvious joke out of the way: “He is bye, Felicia!”
Bradley Cooper is a good actor, he does a solid job in this movie, and his makeup is impeccable. This is the second time in a row that an iconic Jewish character is portrayed by a non-Jew in a film that I watch but it's not a problem for me at all. Cooper is fine. Arguably, Carey Mulligan is even better but not by much: they compliment each other nicely. The movie itself is very mediocre, a by-the-numbers biopic. The worst part: it’s tries to be “dramatic” and it fails. Unlike Golda, where there is no room for the intended “artsiness,” here there is plenty of room for emotion: America's biggest composer / conductor Leonard Bernstein is trying to hide his bisexuality. His wife Felicia suffers in equal parts because of his infidelities and because she feels sorry for him. But – guess what – this drama is in no way compelling! At no point I actually feel Bernstein’s torment! I do feel his ecstacy when he conducts (and Cooper is excellent in those moments) but no pain at all! When Felicia tells him “there is hate in your heart,” I feel no hate and I don't know where this hate is supposed to come from. When Felicia says “there is no more hate in your heart,” I don't know what prompted this change of heart and where did this hate go. It's just words.
On a couple of occasions, Felicia is emotionally relatable to me but one such scene feels directly lifted from Woody Allen (Mulligan’s hair is a dead ringer for Dianne West in Hannah and Her Sisters) only without the wit and grace of Allen’s dialogues (and Sarah Silverman, who is a very limited actress, can only repeat “Oh, Felicia” over and over again). Mulligan truly shines through understatement as a cancer patient but by that point it's too late to save the movie. It's past the point of caring for it. I understand what emotions it's supposed to evoke but I don't feel them. Rami Malik’s emotions in Bohemian Rhapsody are ten times more relatable (Freddy Mercury's exchange with his girlfriend “I think I am bisexual” – “Freddy, you are gay!” was perfect). Other than that, there are lots of close-ups (we get to experience every inch of Cooper’s prosthetic skin) and lots of cigarettes (it almost stank up my living room). Great music for the fans of Bernstein, which I am not. From this movie, I don't understand his genius, his impact, and his tortured soul. This movie is makeup-deep, and the fact that it's Oscar-nominated but Fair Play isn't, makes me angry. 6/10
