Film Dictionary: 09/01/2019

September 9, 2019

It fails spectacularly as a proper cinematic adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's fabulous Broadway play, but it succeeds splendidly as an immortal camp classic, and possibly the worst musical film since "Xanadu" (1980). Songs include:

"Beautiful Ghosts" ***
"Mr Mistoffelees" ***
"Memory" ***

It Must Be Heaven (2019) ***

Ford v Ferrari (2019) ***

Downton Abbey (2019) ***

The Edge Of Democracy (2019) ***

A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood (2019) ***

Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise Of Skywalker (2019) ***

Bombshell (2019) ***

Very good film about the fall of Roger Ailes.

Knives Out (2019) ***

Where’d You Go Bernadette (2019) ***

Motherless Brooklyn (2019) ***

Excellent film noir set in 1959.

Les Misérables (2019) ***

Hors normes (2019) ***

Very good French film about an organism taking care of severely autistic people.

Rocketman (2019) ***

Elton John: The Crazy Years. Songs include:

"I'm Gonna Love Me Again" ***

Harriet (2019) ***

Directed by Kasi Lemmons ("Eve's Bayou"), this is more than just an ordinary slavery-era biopic about a remarkable woman whose face was supposed to replace Old Hickory on the $20 bill during the Obama era (a promise that was “indefinitely delayed” under Donald Trump, and conveniently forgotten under Joe Biden).

Hustlers (2019) ***

Frozen 2 (2019) ***

Songs:

"Into The Unknown" ***
"Show Yourself" ***

Antigone (2019) ***

A modern adaptation of the famous Greek tragedy, set in Montreal.

The Song Of Names (2019) ***

The Twentieth Century (2019) ***

Avengers: Endgame (2019) ***

The climax involves dozens of superheroes fighting over a glove, but the rest of the film is actually quite good, revisiting earlier Marvel films "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban"-style.