THE SCREENERS ARE COMING – 4

I can’t say what my FAVORITE is, but THE FAVOURITE is making a run at best picture, and yes, the pace is great, acting fine, sets amazing, but it does set me up for a dark comedy and then sets me adrift in only the dark and does away with the comedy. This does not ruin the film, and you may be fine with the change of tone, or not. You cannot, though, easily forget the deft turns of plot, the talent of the three women, and especially the monumental performance of Olivia Colman. That’s a triumph.

VICE has the same high level pace and wit, with some bold and clever chance-taking in storytelling. It’s darkly funny, but behind the smile you can’t help but be so wrenched, so angry and so very, very sorry at the damage that was done to this country by Cheney and his group of manipulators -- making a war because they needed one to shift the political climate and serve their purposes, men who are fiddling and congratulating each other as the world burns and hundreds of thousands of people are dying so that they can win their power games. I take exception to the ending but won’t say a spoiling word about it.

Steve Carell, playing Donald Rumsfeld, is -- what’s the right word? Have we noticed that Steve can play ANYTHING, any type, any part of the human spectrum? Will he go all the way and be another Alec Guinness or Daniel Day Lewis? If he wants that there may be no stopping him. Go Steve.

I don’t want to lose sight of GREEN BOOK or PRIVATE LIFE or the pain and truth that shows through A STAR IS BORN. And then there’s IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK with its slowww moving scenes that can afford to be slow because they are so damn deep, and there is so much emotion on the screen whether the actors are speaking or not. I felt I truly lived through that movie, and carried its weight with me. Choosing is not easy this year, but it’ll really get tight after the nominations in January. And there is so much more to see!