David Schleicher’s new novel ‘Then Came Darkness,’ Thanksgiving Day, Roma, The Shoplifters, Burning, The Favourite and Green Book on Monday Morning Diary (November 26)

by Sam Juliano

This week we lost two cinematic titans, Bernardo Bertolucci and Nicolas Roeg at 77 and 90 respectively.  Readers are encouraged to talk about their work and incalculable influence.  My own favorite Bertolucci is The Conformist, my own favorite contribution from Roeg is his cinematography on The Masque of the Red Death.  But that’s just the tip of the iceberg in both cases!  R.I.P.

Thanksgiving Day 2018 is now in the history books in more ways than one.  The day registered one of the coldest ever in the Metropolitan region, but of course we told by our fearless leader that there is no such thing as climate change.  Our family had a grand day at the mansion-like home of the Lampmann family where we convened for the twenty-fifth year in a row to enjoy a generous traditional spread, a lavish desert table and second meal later in the night of all sorts of finger foods.  I wasn’t so thrilled that the Cowboys beat the Redskins, but heck that wasn’t exactly high on a list of priorities.  This past week at Wonders in the Dark J.D. Lafrance published a splendid review on the classic American film The World of Henry Orient by George Roy Hill.  My own latest Caldecott Medal Contender review on the Fan Brothers’ Ocean Meets Sky is publishing today.

Our long time friend, film blogger and author David Schleicher has published his second novel, Then Came Darkness, a noirish work set in upstate New York in the summer of 1936.  The dark tale of revenge features Joshua Bloomfield, who is driven by greed and the believe that an inheritance was rightfully his.  Evelyn Kydd must find a way to survive the malignant advance.  Congratulations David, and best wishes with your new work!  We are all proud of you!

The past week has been one of serious movie madness.  Lucille, Sammy, Jeremy and I saw five acclaimed new releases in the theaters.  Here are my reports and star ratings:

Thanksgiving week movie masterpieces! Lucille, the boys and I saw three of the very best films of 2018 over the past days in Manhattan. ROMA (Alfonso Cuaron) is a monochrome epic filmed and set in Mexico during the late 60s and early 70s. The Felliniesque story of a family who endure the trials and tribulations of life is alternately funny, pensive and sad, in the end a focused and scintillating drama. Yalitza Aparicio as the maid Cleo is magnificent. (5/5). THE FAVOURITE (Yorgos Lanthimos) is a deliciously perverse Irish/English period piece set in the court of Queen Anne and featuring extraordinary performances by Olivia Coleman, Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone is also highlighted by a ravishing. baroque score and set design. Lanthimos, adapting another’s work has never been more accessible. (5/5). The South Korean film BURNING by Lee Chang-Dong (Poetry) is a controlled, eerie and disconcerting mystery/drama, culturally observant and psychologically nuanced. One of the most quietly enveloping of films. (4.5/5) We saw ROMA at the IFC Film Center, THE FAVOURITE at the Regal and BURNING at the Quad. (Tonight we will be seeing the Japanese “The Shoplifters at 7:00 at IFC).

And now the fourth very great film seen this week, the Cannes Film Festival Japanese Palme d’Or winning “The Shoplifters” by world class master Hirokazu Kore-eda, which is surely one of the very best films of the year. This rich tapestry of humanism has a Dickensinian feel, and it concludes on a note to rival “The 400 Blows.” The late Kirin Kiki as the grandmother is unforgettable as are Kairi Jo as Shota, Lily Franky as Osamu and Sakura Ando as Nobuyo. Understated, yet packing an emotional wallop. Lucille, Sammy, Jeremy, Broadway Bob and I watched the 7:00 P.M. screening last night at Manhattan’s IFC Film Center.

Green Book” at Montclair Bow-Tie Cinemas

The fifth and final of this past week’s outside movie excursions yielded a flawed but irresistibly entertaining road film by Peter Farrelly. The film is not nuanced, not complex, reduces racism to something of the past and intimates the real hero of the film is the Caucasian Italian-American Tony Vallelonga, but because the film has its heart in the right place, because there is incredible chemistry between Viggo Mortenson and Mahershala Ali as the world class pianist Don Shirley and because in the Trump era this film is an all too telling reminder of what ugliness persists and has persisted, the film does work on multiple levels, and it is a grand time at the movies. Those who love “My Cousin Vinny” will see a lot of the humor in kind. Yes a few have called it a reverse “Driving Miss Daisy.” Torn between 4.0 and 4.5 of 5.0 but for now I’ll go with 4.0 and see how I feel in coming weeks. Lucille, Sammy and I saw “Green Book” at 7:00 P.M. last night at the Bow-Tie Cinemas in Montclair. (Both Mortenson and Mahershala are deservedly in the Oscar hunt).

Roma (Mexico)     *****       (Wednesday night)      IFC Film Center

Burning (South Korea)  **** 1/2  (Tuesday night)   Quad Cinemas

The Favourite (Ireland/UK)  *****  (Friday night)    Regal Cinemas

The Shoplifters (Japan)   *****       (Saturday night)   IFC Film Center

Green Book  ****                           (Sunday evening) Montclair Bow-Tie Cinemas

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