Even if he doesn’t exactly go there in his cinema, Pablo Larraín often obliquely flirts with horror. The hints were there in the fanatical nature of the titular “Tony Manero” character, a dancer unnervingly obsessed with John Travolta in “Saturday Night Fever.” And they were all the more obvious in his gorgeous political satire “El Conde”—one of 2023’s boldest cinematic outings that imagined Pinochet as a 250-year-old vampire. To the careful eye, the director’s genre exploits elevated much of his ingenious, gradually heartbreaking psychodramas “Jackie” and “Spencer,” too, his pair of otherworldly films on the troubled lives of legendary 20^th century women.

Now with “Maria,” about the final days of the iconic American-Greek soprano Maria Callas, Larraín turns his “historic women” movies into a near-perfect trilogy, giving us a stunning conclusion to his series. Upon seeing “Maria” for the first time months ago at the Telluride Film Festival (and revisiting it several times thereafter), this critic pondered what made “Maria” not only the gentlest, but the best of the three. And the answer was perhaps always obvious—as an opera connoisseur, Larraín is proudly (and often, sentimentally) protective of one of the artform’s most groundbreaking singers throughout “Maria,” a feature that was prominent neither in “Jackie,” nor “Spencer.”

It’s not that the psycho-dramatic dreads we feel in those former two films aren’t a part of “Maria.” For everyone who’s ever feared losing a big part of what defines them, and for everyone who’s opened their hearts to something they love so widely and unrestrictedly, only to see various forms of cruelty sneak in, this generous and beautiful picture ought to be a gut-punch. But you can often sense that Larraín, among the most intuitive filmmakers working today, almost wants to shield Callas from the harmful grip of those cruelties. While her end is inevitable in the film—Callas died in 1977 at the young age of 53—you will be disarmed, even moved to tears, experiencing Larraín’s care for her in “Maria,” which is essentially a compassionate ghost story on the beloved things we lose, as they continue to deteriorate and slip through our fingers against our will.

In a queenly performance of poise and mystique, Angelina Jolie plays Callas with an ethereal presence, grasping the intense grief of the once-in-a-generation singer who’s been losing her voice. In the beginning, Jolie—through Ed Lachman’s glorious, high-contrast black-and-white lensing—looks straight at the camera, as her defiant Callas sings “Ave Maria” from Verdi’s Otello, perhaps both as a little prayer to her past, and as a reckoning with her present. The voice we hear (both in this scene, and in the several arias we’d get to hear later on) belongs to Callas for sure. (At least for the most past, as Larraín reportedly has mixed in drips of Jolie’s voice in there, too.) But that doesn’t mean Jolie isn’t doing her own singing—she is, as evidenced in the way that she stretches her facial muscles and engages her entire body in the process. But she is subtle in those signifiers, as one has to be while embodying Callas. The famed soprano was effortless in navigating her range and hitting some impossibly high notes—music simply and silkily poured out of her, an artistic flair stylishly internalized and portrayed by Jolie. 

A perceptive performer who can sometimes be a tad cold-to-the-touch, Jolie gives her career-best performance as she steers Callas’s ups and downs during the singer’s final days, almost all of it empathetically imagined by Larraín and screenwriter Steven Knight. She floats around her grand Paris apartment, an elegant and expansive space of gothic hues that envelopes Callas in a cocoon of claustrophobia. (Production Designer Guy Hendrix Dyas miraculously marries realism with wistfulness in his work.) She seeks the acceptance of her devoted staff, particularly Bruna (Alba Rohrwacher) and Ferruccio (Pierfrancesco Favino), who bring much warmth and humor into the movie. She turns inward and has conversations with her own self when on a cocktail of medications—chiefly, Mandrax, inventively personified by Kodi Smit-McPhee. Elsewhere, she fends off nosy press and entitled fans. Meanwhile, she remembers both the glamor and the pain that she felt through a thunderous, rewarding, and sometimes heartbreaking past, one that eventually launched her into a rocky romance with the Greek-Argentine tycoon Aristotle Onassis (the terrific Turkish actor Haluk Bilginer). And she does all that sporting Massimo Cantini Parrini’s breathtaking costumes, both exact replicas of her known pieces, and custom designs made for the movie.

In honoring her journey, Larraín contrasts the film’s Paris scenes of gorgeous colors and locales with Maria’s black-and-white remembrances—not only trying to get to know La Callas but also hoping to infuse anyone who might be watching with the kind of affection he clearly feels for the diva. Dare to open your heart to his quest, and you might just feel that tenderness in a deep sense, even if you aren’t an opera connoisseur. And that’s perhaps the grandest miracle of this film—like Callas herself aimed to do, “Maria” brings opera to the masses, not as a gimmick or high-minded endeavor, but as an act of generosity and understanding that art belongs to everyone who wants to appreciate it. In that, as Larraín purposely and studiously braids in arias into his narrative—full songs for the most part, and not frustratingly chopped up snippets—and gives you a taste of everything from Bellini to Puccini to Donizetti, you’ll feel like you’ve had a full musical meal, with a hunger for a second helping.

Will you get to know Callas by the end of “Maria”? Or will she remain as a complete mystery? Rest assured that’s hardly the point of Larraín’s cinematic ode. The reward is the beautiful and heart-swelling two hours you’ll have the privilege of spending with La Callas, alongside a director who wants nothing more than to share his immense love for her. 

In theaters now, on Netflix December 11th.

David Gordon Green is capable of tackling just about any story and doing it in his own distinct manner. His career has gone in so many directions, to be sure. So, when he was making a family film again with Nutcrackers, I was open to pretty much any type of family flick. As such, it’s a bit of a disappointment for the movie to be totally cute and inoffensive, but little more than that. It’s amusing, sure, but should be more amusing. Plus, it’s just not quite as funny as you want it to be.

Nutcrackers has charm and a good heart, no doubt about that. It just never builds on the goodwill to become something memorable. There’s a clear hope to become an eventual holiday staple, being rewatched over and over again by families. However, by playing it so safe, it falls short of that mark by a bit. The film threatens at times to become more, but ultimately is unable to get to that point and fully win you over.

Straight-laced Mike (Ben Stiller) has come from Chicago to the farm where his recently deceased sister and brother-in-law used to live in order to sign some paperwork. When he arrives in the small town, he finds out that he’s essentially become the temporary guardian of his now orphaned nephews. Moreover, the quartet of moppet young men are pretty much feral. Mike is initially no match for Justice (Homer Janson), Simon (Arlo Janson), Steve Jr. (Ulysses Janson), and Samuel (Atlas Janson). In fact, they’re actively torturing him.

As you might expect, both sides thaw. While a social worker (Linda Cardellini) attempts to find the boys a new home, some bonding occurs. Of course, Mike wants his old life back, while leads to tension when his nephews feel like he doesn’t want them. Some very funny moments result, but the climix obviously is going to be a heartfelt attempt to get you to roll a tear.

Ben Stiller isn’t asked to do anything he hasn’t done before, which is a shame. He’s good in the role, without question, but he has more to offer than this. He’s allowed to be funny and be serious, and he’s aces in a scene where he tells the story of Rambo as a bedtime tale, but it’s a case where you’re waiting for a next level that never comes. The quartet of Arlo Janson, Atlas Janson, Homer Janson, and Ulysses Janson are fine, provided you’re alright with cute kid performances. A sequence where they ask Mike to teach them sex ed has them at their funniest. Linda Cardellini doesn’t get much to do, unfortunately, but she’s a warm presence. Supporting players here include Ari Graynor, Tim Heidecker, Toby Huss, and more, but it’s mostly about Stiller and the boys, who can amuse and make you smile, albeit not quite enough.

Director David Gordon Green has a personal stake in this picture, but it never comes across in the final product. Now, the screenplay by Leland Douglas is just so generic that Green can’t do too much with it, but it’s still a shame. The aforementioned moments are comedy highlights, though you wish that Nutcrackers was funnier. The ending is cliched but effective, though you wish that the drama of it all was a bit more consistent. In the end, you just wish for a bit more all around.

Nutcrackers is perfectly fine, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but David Gordon Green and Ben Stiller’s presence had me hoping for more. As a Hulu release you can watch with family this holiday weekend, you can do a lot worse. The thing is, you can do better, and I just can’t fully let that slide. So, consider this ever so close to a recommendation, even though I’m not quite there…

SCORE: ★★1/2

Related

“Gladiator II”

(Drama/Action: 2 hours, 28 minutes)

Starring: Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen, and Pedro Pascal

Director: Ridley Scott

Rated: R (Strong bloody violence)

Movie Review:

“Gladiator II” takes place 16 years after Russell Crowe’s gladiator Maximus from 2000’s “Gladiator” (also directed by Ridley Scott). “Gladiator II,” despite its unhistorical aspects and over-the-top fight scenes, is entertaining while not capturing the artful grandeur of the 2000 prequel.

In 211 A.D., Maximus’ former lover Lucilla (Nielsen) is now married to a hero of Rome, General Acacius (Pascal). As Lucilla, Acacius and some select senators plot to overthrow Emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger), Maximus’ young son Lucius (Mescal) returns as a gladiator owned by malevolent and sly gladiator promoter Macrinus (Washington).

“Gladiator II’s” narrative is comparable to its prequel. The protagonists in both movies are driven by a noble sense of revenge for a murdered loved one. “Gladiator II” just adds some political intrigue to the story, better special effects and more brutal action scenes..

Ridley Scott offers a similar story. He just makes it more ornately decorated. Apart from Denzel Washington’s Macrinus’ schemes to ascend to power, the “Gladiator II” story is unconvincing because of fast character shifts. Characters appear inconsistent from one scene to the next in a hastened manner filled with platitudes.

Go for the gladiator events in the Colosseum. The fight sequences are a bold reconceptualization of the ancient Roman arena.

Grade: B- (The arena is full of action but is not dramatically fulfilling.)

“Wicked”

(Musical Drama/Fantasy: 2 hours, 40 minutes)

Starring: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Bailey and Jeff Goldblum

Director: Jon M. Chu

Rated: PG (Scary action, thematic elements and suggestive material)

Movie Review:

“Wicked” is an absorbing movie based on characters from L. Frank Baum’s 1900 “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” and Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.” It holds one’s attention for a runtime of two hours and 40 minutes. It is a good movie with some interesting developments.

“Wicked” is a prelude to the famous “The Wizard of Oz,” a 1939 American musical fantasy film that has been seen in cinemas and televisions by multiple generations for 84 years. “Wicked” details how the Wicked Witch becomes the villain in the land of Oz.

A bubbly and popular student, Galinda Upland, who becomes Glinda the Good, is played by Ariana Grande. Cynthia Erivo plays Elphaba Thropp, who becomes the Wicked Witch. Galinda and Elphaba must share a room at Shiz University, a mandate of Madame Morrible (Yeoh). Galinda despises her roommate and initially hates sharing the large dorm room. After multiple disagreements, the bitter rivals become friends at the elite school. As Elphaba adapts to her growing sorcery powers, she soon learns that the good life is not for all citizens in Oz. Even more, she is being duped into helping with the notorious scheme.

“Wicked” is one of the more entertaining movies – a dashing musical – one will see this year. It has plenty of good lessons to learn and meaningful characters and a well-developed story.

Erivo and Grande are a dazzling duo. Erivo plays Elphaba with endearing qualities. She makes the character endearing, a young being deceived. Conversely, Grande plays Galinda in a beautifully annoying style. Galinda is rich, spoiled and thrives on superficial aspects, such as her appearance and clothes.

The movie does have nuances that perplex. The biggest is that Elphaba’s green skin alarms everyone, yet the students take a history class taught by Dr. Dillamond, an erudite goat voiced by Peter Dinklage. No one finds that oddity strange.

However, the land of Oz is a fantasy ripe with talking trees, flying monkeys and other fascinating creatures. It is a nice escape for those looking for the perfect getaway for families.

Grade: B (Something deliciously wicked this way comes.)

“Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin”

(Period Drama/History: 2 hours, 13 minutes)

Starring: Jonas Dassler, David Jonsson and Clarke Peters

Director: Todd Komarnicki

Rated: PG-13 (Violent content, thematic elements and some smoking.)

Movie Review:

“Bonhoeffer” is an intriguing story set during World War II. It follows the plot of Dietrich Bonhoeffer (a skillful Dassler), a pastor who attempts to help save his homeland of Germany from Hitler. Bonhoeffer is one of the first people to notice that Hitler is trying to reinvent the Christian church as he annihilates the Jews. Bonhoeffer’s rejection of Hitler’s Third Reich through his fiery sermons does not go unnoticed, and he quickly becomes one of the freedom fighters deemed a threat to the Nazi’s rule of Germany.

This movie is based on true events, and it is captivating. It shows how a man of faith becomes part of a plot to assassinate Hitler. However, it does have two glaring faults. The producers and writer of this movie try too hard to make Bonhoeffer a modern Jesus Christ. This is sort of an overkill.

The second is something directors do too much today because they think it is an artistic measure. Director Todd Komarnicki (“Resistance,” 2003) is better known as a writer for his screenplay “Sully” (Director Clint Eastwood, 2016). He has too many flashbacks. They often interfere with the story.

Komarnicki does this to give insight into Bonhoeffer, but a straightforward synchronous story is often better. A visit to a concession stand or a bathroom break could cause one to be out of synch for just a split moment because flashbacks interfere with synchronous story-telling.

Otherwise, this true tale of a man’s bravery fighting against the evil he sees is gratifying. It captures a slice of history by making it a biographical thriller, even if its execution is iffy.

Grade: B- (The pastor’s theology is sound.)