Fences (2016)

Movie: Fences

Starring: Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Stephen McKinley

Release Date: December 25, 2016

Rating:

3 1/2 Stars; Very Good

The words of August Wilson are the true star of Denzel Washington’s Fences. Sure, both Washington and Viola Davis give Oscar-worthy performances as Troy and Rose Maxson (Davis, in particular is outstanding), but it’s the everyman style of Wilson’s writing that makes this play-turned-movie magical. There’s something almost Shakespearean to the pattern of speech Wilson provides the characters; a rhythm and flow seldom achieved by writers. Given their obvious admiration for the source material, it's likely that both Washington and Davis would agree with this assessment. It’s clear that for both of them, this is more than just another role in some movie; this is a labor of love, and Washington and Davis pour their hearts and souls into their characters.
           As mentioned above, Washington stars as Troy Maxson, a vivid storyteller with an almost mythical past, at least, according to the way he tells it. Rose (Viola Davis), his wife, is always nearby to call his bluff and add some realism to his tall tales. Troy works as a garbage man in 1950’s Philadelphia, and believes society has constructed a fence around him through segregationist policies that he argues prevented him from becoming a Major League Baseball player (though Rose suggests his age at the time of tryouts may have been the larger issue). This leads to conflict with Troy’s son, Cory (Jovan Adepo), who hopes to someday play football in the NFL. Troy claims that this goal is unrealistic and argues that should Cory take up a trade instead. Though he suggests that Cory would likely be an unsuccessful pro athlete due to the color of his skin, the bitterness with which Troy speaks of his failed baseball career suggests a tinge of jealousy and resentment underlining the rejection of his son's dream.

Even after it’s revealed that just about every other sentence spoken by Troy is hyperbole, it's hard not to feel sympathy for him. A conversation with his friend, Bono (Stephen McKinley Henderson), and his oldest son from an earlier marriage, Lyons (Russell Hornsby), reveals a childhood that ended far too early due to a runaway mother an abusive father. This is a man who appears to have sacrificed much for his family, working a laborious job while attempting to maintain and care for his home. His only relief from life comes on Friday evenings when he shares drinks with Bono in the backyard. Troy is exhausted, and the audience can see it in Washington’s eyes. In Troy, Washington portrays a man who simultaneously loves life even as he resents the one he’s living. He oozes with charisma and charm, yet through his smile, there’s a hint of frustration.

Equally as mesmerizing is Viola Davis as Rose. Every chance she gets on screen she manages to steal the show; no easy feat given the performances of her co-stars. Like Troy, Rose is tired. She remembers loving her husband long ago, but she’s starting to forget why that was. Eventually, after Troy’s admission of an affair that he plans to continue regardless of her feelings, she finds herself trapped; fenced in by a marriage that long ago lost its purpose, as well as by Troy’s cruelty to her son. Davis’s performance is so strong, after a heated exchange with Troy, the audience literally witnesses the life drain from Rose’s body. Her face fills with sorrow as she realizes that, as an African American woman in 1950’s America, there is no gate through the fence that has her trapped.

In addition to Washington and Davis, Stephen McKinley Henderson, portraying Troy’s best friend, Bono, deserves quite a bit of recognition as well. There’s such an endearing quality to his performance; he’s not only Troy’s best friend, he’s the audience’s best friend too.

One final note: there are really only two settings in Fences, in which nearly the entire movie takes place; the kitchen/living room and the backyard. Some have suggested this gives the film a play-like feel and detracts from the movie’s overall quality. They could not be more wrong. In only showing the same two settings that Troy and Rose see every day, the same fences that surround the main characters begin to surround the audience. Viewers feel their burdens and understand their frustrations. It was a brilliant decision that adds an additional layer of emotional depth to what was already a compelling film.     

            

La La Land (2016)

Movie: La La Land
Staring: Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone
Release Date: December 9, 2016

Rating:

Four Stars; Excellent

"The World you have entered...is dedicated to Hollywood," former Walt Disney Company CEO Michael D. Eisner declared at the 1989 opening of the then-Disney MGM Studios. "Not a place on a map," he continued, "but a state of mind that exists wherever people dream and wonder and imagine." He concluded his remarks by welcoming all to "a Hollywood that never was—and always will be." Eisner very easily could have been describing the world created by Damien Chazelle in the new musical, La La Land. Not since Singin’ in the Rain, has the magic and essence of Hollywood been so effectively captured on film.

Simply stated, La La Land is a masterpiece; a stunning sensation for the senses, both visually and audibly. It’s a whimsical tale about two ordinary people with extraordinary dreams, achievable because of the effects that a series of chance encounters they share with one another has on each of them.

As the film opens, audiences are transported to a musical world in which drivers, stuck for hours in one of Los Angeles’ infamous traffic jams, abandon their vehicles for song and dance in the kind of ensemble performance that’s all too rare in today’s motion pictures. It’s on this LA freeway that Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), a down-on-his luck jazz purist and pianist, and Mia (Emma Stone), an ever-auditioning, aspiring actress, first meet, as Mia flips an annoyed, horn-honking Sebastian the bird while he cuts her off. After a few more false starts and a little flirtatious banter, the chemistry between the two builds to the point of becoming almost tangible.

Eventually, against a sunset sky specially crafted for lovers, Mia and Sebastian sing and dance their way into each other’s hearts. Despite their initial belief that such “A Lovely Night” is wasted on two people who could not be more incompatible, through a tit for tat tap dance, they begin to recognize that when working together, the routine is stronger than when apart. Each recognizes the potential for greatness in the other, while doubting the potential residing within themselves.

While neither Gosling nor Stone have the vocal or rhythmic talent of Astaire or Rogers, that works to their advantage. Their performances provide the audience an opportunity to see themselves in their characters; we feel as though anyone could sing and tap dance in front of the Hollywood hills at sunset and be a star. That’s not to take away from either performer, however, as both were nothing short of mesmerizing. Still, there’s a sort of humility that they portray that, when coupled with the simplicity of the choreography and of the lyrics, provides Gosling and Stone a special kind of charm.

Equally as mesmerizing as the film’s co-stars is Justin Hurwitz’s score. In recent years, so often music seems to be nothing more than an afterthought in the filmmaking process. Not so in La La Land, where it often feels as though the film were constructed around Hurwitz’s melodies. In what may be the most memorable scene of the movie, the score quite literally soars through the star-filled skies of Hollywood along with a waltzing Stone and Gosling. There’s such an elegance and timeless quality to the scene; save for technology, it could very easily have been filmed during Hollywood’s golden years, and deserves to go down in history as one of the most memorable scenes of any movie musical. Hurwitz is definitely a composer to watch for in the future.

Hollywood itself also takes centerstage in La La Land. The City of Los Angeles has never looked so stunning. Chazelle fills the city with bold, vibrant colors, evoking imagery of Hollywood at her prime. This is the sort of backdrop that dreams are made of; it’s not at all hard to imagine Humphrey Bogart or Katharine Hepburn walking these streets. It’s fitting, considering the movie as a whole serves as a reminder that Hollywood is a city built on dreams.

Therein lies the brilliance of this picture. Just as Hollywood is a city of dreams, La La Land is a movie of dreams. In an era of cynicism, La La Land reminds us of the joy and beauty that can be found in everyday life. It reminds us of the power of friendship and love, and of the difference that one person can make in the life of another. And it does it all through beautiful imagery, song, and dance. In La La Land, every day is a dream come true, and despite the difficulties they face, Sebastian and Mia live life as though it is a dream. Perhaps here in the real-world, we should strive to live that way as well.