In my push to see more Oscar-nominated movies, I again watched two that don’t seem to have much in common with each other, so I won’t try too hard to come up with an overarching theme. Suffice it to say, they both received multiple award nominations. This week’s offerings include “Being the Ricardos” and “Nightmare Alley.” Are they worth your time? Read on!
“Being the Ricardos” (streaming on Amazon Prime)
Who hasn’t spent hours of their life watching “I Love Lucy” reruns? Who hasn’t gotten a side ache laughing as Lucy awkwardly stomps grapes or has to eat countless chocolates while working at a candy factory? Most of us know that the show’s leading lady, Lucille Ball, was married to Desi Arnaz, who played her husband Ricky Ricardo on the show. Some people might even know that she was caught up in the Red Scare of the 1950’s. I personally didn’t have too deep of a knowledge base about Lucy and admittedly haven’t seen too many episodes recently. Which is why I wasn’t super excited about watching “Being the Ricardos.” I more or less was checking off a must-watch box since the movie is nominated for Best Actress, Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor. I was predicting it might be a dull movie that would be a bit of a slog at 2 hours. I’m happy to say I was wrong!
The film is told from three perspectives: interviews with the show's three lead writers, flashbacks, and preparations for a live filming in 1953, which was the bulk of the action. Lucille Ball is played by Nicole Kidman while Javier Bardem starred as Desi. Both were nominated for their performances, as was J.K. Simmons for his turn at William Frawley…the actor who played the Ricardos landlord and friend in the show, Fred.
Most of the movie is set in a week when they’re preparing to film the show which also happens to be the week where Ball is accused of being a Communist, even though she had been investigated and cleared previously by the House Un-American Activities Committee. She also is dealing with questions about her husband’s fidelity.
At the beginning of the movie, I felt like I was going to have problems with Kidman and Bardem playing well-known real life figures, even though both of them are fabulous actors. After a few minutes though, I started to forget about the actors and just enjoy Lucy and Desi! The characterization is excellent. I ended up having a hard time deciding who my favorite character was. At first it was Bardem’s suave Desi, then Simmons as the thick-headed boorish actor Frawley won me over. But by the end, Kidman’s Ball really steals the show as we see were run through a gamut of emotions.
The movie is both funny yet still compelling and dramatic. Most of us probably realize that Ball wasn’t thrown out of Hollywood for being a Communist, but I was still on pins and needles throughout the movie waiting to see if they would be able to film the show at the end of the week.
For a movie that was an obligatory Oscar film watch for me that I wasn’t really looking forward to, I ultimately enjoyed “Being the Ricardos,” I would recommend it to “I Love Lucy” fans, Hollywood history buffs and really anyone who likes good performances.
“Nightmare Alley” (streaming on Hulu and HBO Max)
Imagine something that’s the complete polar opposite of “I Love Lucy” and you might approach the movie “Nightmare Alley.” Co-written and directed by Guillermo del Toro, this is billed as a neo-noir psychological drama, and oh boy, is it ever ‘noir’…meaning dark. The film is based on a book of the same name from the 1940s. It is split into two parts. In the first part, we see main character Stan, played by Bradley Cooper, drifting about until he stumbles upon a second-rate, shady carnival run by Clem (Willem Dafoe). With nothing else to do and apparently nowhere to go, Stan starts working at the carnival doing odd jobs. Pretty soon he has befriended most of the carnies and even fallen for one, a young gal named Molly (Rooney Mara). He also picks up on a mentalist act that he learns from Zeena (Toni Collette) and Pete (David Strathairn). When Stan saves the carnival after using the act on the local law enforcement, he feels confident enough to set out on his own with Molly.
In the second half of the film, Stan and Molly perform a psychic show at a hotel for the rich elite. This is when Stan meets Dr. Lilith Ritter, played by Cate Blanchett. She was hired by a wealthy judge to determine if Stan’s act was legitimate as the judge hopes to employ him to communicate with his dead son. After that seemingly works, Lilith and Stan start working together to swindle someone even more wealthy. Stan and Molly quickly find themselves entwined in a scheme more dangerous than anything they’ve ever experienced.
If you’re not familiar with the tenets of noir, just use your imagination to picture dark and shady scenery filled with dark and shady people. Add in some fedoras tilted over one eye at jaunty angles and plenty of characters with shadowy pasts. This movie is also gruesome and violent…which is something that del Toro does extremely well.
I quite enjoyed this one. Unlike the previous movie I discussed, really none of the characters in “Nightmare Alley” are likable, except for maybe Molly. In fact, Stan is a pretty terrible person which becomes increasingly clear throughout the film, so it’s not necessarily like we’re rooting for him to win. Rather, the dark story is what hooked me. I am intrigued by a story set in the gritty world of a carnival or circus (The 2011 movie “Water for Elephants” and the HBO series “Carnivale” also fit this bill). I like to see how the sausage is made, so to speak and peak behind the scenes to see what the strong man and tarot card reader do on their day off.
When Stan and Molly leave the carnival and start scamming the rich, you can just feel the other shoe is going to drop and something will go terribly wrong. I was on the edge of my seat waiting for that moment, especially since I had heard a lot of buzz about the shocking ending of the movie. I won’t ruin it for you, but I’ll just say the ending comes full circle and is sickly satisfying albeit disturbing and grim.
“Nightmare Alley” is nominated for four Oscars, including Best Picture and also for its cinematography, costume design and production design. I’m kind of doubting it will win much, if anything, but this movie is still worth a watch. It’s not the feel-good movie of the year certainly, but if you’re looking for a dark, dirty and thrilling story, this one asks you to “step right up!”
As always, send your feedback or topic ideas to Bridget at news@wrightcountymonitor.com
