“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” was released on Netflix back a couple months ago, but in case you haven’t seen it here it is. Adapted from the play by August Wilson, we are taken back to 1920s Chicago on a hot summer day where everything goes wrong in this recording session. The star is late, tensions between the band come to a head; not one thing happens as it should. Viola Davis may be the title character, but she isn’t as much in the film. Her presence more or less hovers over the proceedings. But the true star is Chadwick Boseman, whose Levee stands as the movie’s heart. Watching him, it became hard to know if my tears came from the performance or the knowledge that this was the last time I would see him on film. Both are truly heartbreaking.
Also on Netflix, “Pieces of a Woman” falls squarely in the tearjerker category too. However, this one is not for the faint of heart. The first fifteen minutes are brutal but so rewarding in the end. Vanessa Kirby( sure to be winning awards) plays a pregnant woman who goes through immense loss. Even mentioning that is a bit like a spoiler. But the nuance she brings here…wow. Shades of “Uncut Gems” in how uncompromising a feature, writer Kata Weber and director Kornel Mandruczu show bravery in channeling their experience into the art we see before us. Ellen Burstyn also turns in another great role as Kirby’s mother, one reminds us that bonds can hurt as well as heal.
Over on Amazon Prime, actor Regina King makes her directorial debut with “One Night in Miami.” Much like “Ma Rainey”, its origins are found on the stage. Muhammad Ali(Eli Goree) has just beat Sonny Liston. Excited and hyped, he is brought back to a motel by Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben Adir) for a meeting. Also invited after the bout is NFL player Jim Brown and singer Sam Cooke, played by Aldis Hodge and Leslie Odom Jr. respectively. Over the course of the night, they discuss the Civil Rights movement and their place in it. The script is clearly speculative, but based on how Ali joined the Nation of Islam. Each actor brings considerable depth to their roles, Odom Jr. especially. After seeing him in “Hamilton,” I am sure we will be seeing more of him quite soon.
Staying on Amazon, “Sylvie’s Love” has been out but is perfect viewing for Valentine’s Day. An ode to 1950’s melodramas, Tessa Thompson and Nnamdi Asomugha star as two young people who meet working at a record store. She wants to work in television; he as a jazz musician. Their paths diverge and coalesce over the course of years. As the 50s give way to the 60s, their dreams are dashed at one moment only to be reignited later. The leads give just the right pathos to roles that could have been maudlin in others’ hands. Eva Longoria and Wendy McLendon-Covey are enjoyable in the supporting cast, adding moments of levity.
As for further V-Day viewing, my personal favorites are the Before Trilogy by director Richard Linklater. On Hulu, all three movies follow actor Ethan Hawke’s Jesse and actress Julie Delpy’s Celine as they meet up together every nine years to see where the couple are at. It is fun to just get lost in their conversations, to the point that you feel that they are really in love(or frustratingly dependent on each other). Also on HBO Max, “In The Mood for Love” is part of their Criterion Collection picks. In 1962 Hong Kong, two neighbors move into the same building on the same day and meet. Through their shared interactions, Mr. Chow and Mrs. Su realize that their spouses are having an affair. What begins as an investigation slowly becomes an infatuation. Happy viewing, readers!
