Disappointments A Go-Go: Killers of the Flower Moon, Maestro

https://www.paramountmovies.com/movies/killers-of-the-flower-moon

[NoHo Arts District, CA] – This month’s Mike Peros movie and TV reviews of Killers of the Flower Moon, Maestro.

I finally found the time to catch up with two films that are currently on the Oscars radar, and I’ve gotta tell ya, I wish I could be more enthusiastic about both of them. 

Let’s start with Killers of the Flower Moon, the latest three hour-plus epic from Martin Scorsese. I generally have no problem with hefty running times, as long as the narrative moves along. However, with Killers…, after the initial set-up involving establishing the Osage Nation and the machinations of greedy De Niro and lunkhead nephew Leonardo DiCaprio with regard to wealthy Osage Lily Gladstone (and her fortunate/unfortunate Osage family members), events tend to be a tad…repetitive. 

I’m told the critically acclaimed book by David Grann focused on the official investigation into the murders of the Osage members (following the discovery of oil). Here, the emphasis is on De Niro, DiCaprio and Gladstone—and because we know who’s doing what to whom, there is so little forward momentum, and the viewer is given plenty of time to ponder certain things. Such as: Why does the film take pains to establish Gladstone’s character as being intelligent and observant, then erase that quality for most of the remaining three hours. One would think events in the film would have made her character (and others) come to some conclusions more quickly. And if it’s because her character has fallen head over heels for DiCaprio, then some effort should have been made to characterize DiCaprio as more than a sweaty schemer (albeit one with a smidge of conscience). Perhaps supply him with some minimal charm (after all, it is Leo!) But no, so one waits…for nearly two and a half hours…for something to happen (yes, things happen, but at a very slow pace). Are certain parts of the film entertaining? Of course: De Niro is forceful (if transparent), DiCaprio does convey his character’s “density,” and there are some effective sequences. Yet given the running time and the film’s limited perspective, it’s pretty darn disappointing as a whole.

Via Netflix

As for Maestro, Bradley Cooper’s bio of influential composer/conductor Leonard Bernstein, it’s another film I had high hopes for. It was obviously a labor of love for Cooper (the prosthetic nose didn’t bother me in the least), and with the casting of Carey Mulligan as Bernstein’s wife, Felicia Montelagre, I expected a degree of excellence—and it occurred with one of the lead actors. Carey Mulligan is superb as Felicia, wholly credible and sympathetic as a spouse who believes (mistakenly) that she can cope with bi-sexual hubby Lennie’s straying and playing. If this sounds a bit glib…well, Bernstein’s sexuality (and marriage) is what the film focuses on. On the Town is alluded to, West Side Story is represented by a number presenting in Bernstein’s conflicts. But what of his other stage triumphs, his scoring for films, his Young People Concerts which entranced much of the nation (including this little fella), his—and Natasha’s—social activism? Interviews by his grown children reveal the joy and love Bernstein could bring to a room—you won’t find that here. There is some talk of the tension inherent between being the extroverted conductor and the introverted composer—but that comes verbatim from the Person to Person interview (with Edward R. Murrow). The way Cooper portrays Bernstein is far more mannered than the Bernstein that can be seen in concerts and interviews. And while some of Cooper’s directorial choices are effective, as in an early scene “onstage” between Lennie and Natasha, a later intense scene is muted by some very distant camerawork (that seemed to be that way to allow for the intrusion of a Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon). The movie is worth a look for Mulligan, but I think the definitive Bernstein movie bio may be yet to come.