Olivia Colman delivers Oscar-winning performance
MAR 14—17
A 5TH ANNIVERSARY FESTIVAL
Co-presented by the Caribbean Film Academy, The Luminal Theater, and Third Horizon
Brooklyn Academy of Music / Peter Jay Sharp Building / 30 Lafayette Ave / Brooklyn
BAM.org/fi lm Leadership support for BAM Cinema Programs provided by
The Thompson Family Foundation
Caribbean L BQ ife, March 8–14, 2019 39
By Kam Williams
Queen Anne (1665-1714) was
a sickly monarch whose dozenyear
reign ran from 1702 to
1714. She was also married
to Prince George of Denmark
from 1683 until he passed away
at Kensington Palace in 1708.
Although Anne was unable
to produce an heir, it wasn’t
from a lack of trying. She was
pregnant 17 times, but most of
her babies either miscarried or
were stillborn, and the handful
carried to term died during
infancy. The Queen coped with
the loss by raising 17 pet rabbits,
one for each offspring, a
curious way to grieve, indeed.
Until now, Anne and George
have been generally remembered
as having been faithful
and devoted partners. But you
can add “The Favourite” to the
long list of revisionist sagas,
which deign to impose presentday
values while ignoring longstanding,
conventional wisdom.
So, a British history buff is
more likely to be frustrated
by “The Favourite” than your
average fan of the costume
drama genre. The carefullyconstructed
crowd-pleaser
was nominated for 10 Academy
Awards, including Best
Picture, Best Director (Yorgos
Lanthimos) and Best Original
Screenplay.
The three female leads in
this lesbian love triangle were
nominated, too, although Olivia
Colman landed the movie’s
sole Oscar for her memorable
performance as domineering
Queen Anne. Rachel Weisz and
Emma Stone co-star opposite
Colman, as a duchess and a
servant vying for the manipulative
monarch’s affections.
At the point of departure, we
find Lady Sarah (Weisz) already
attending to every need of an
obese queen crippled by gout.
The two are also secretly conducting
a passionate, forbidden
affair.
But when Abigail (Stone)
arrives on the scene, Anne’s
head is turned by the attractive
young maid. A subtle power
struggle ensues, as each of
the subjects does her best to
become the queen’s constant
companion. Meanwhile, Anne’s
real-life hubby, George, is conveniently
absent entirely from
the tale.
A fabricated romantic romp
for folks more concerned about
a historical drama’s entertainment
value than its commitment
to the facts.
“The Favourite”
Excellent (4 stars)
Rated R for profanity,
nudity and graphic sexuality
Running time: 119
minutes
Production Companies:
Element Pictures / Scarlet
Films / Film4 Productions
/ Waypoint Entertainment
Distributor: Fox Searchlight
Pictures
Rachel Weisz and Olivia Colman in “The Favourite” (2018). https://www.imdb.com
Independent & Foreign Films
An Elephant Sitting
Still (Unrated) The late Hu
Bo wrote and directed this
adaptation of his short
story chronicling the serendipitous
series of events
inspiring four strangers
(Yu Zhang, Yuchang Peng, Uvin Wang
and Congxi Li) to board a bus for a longdistance
trip to the city of Manzhouli’s
zoo to see a mythical, motionless elephant
ostensibly oblivious to the outside world.
With Jing Guo, Wei Kong and Xiang Rong
Dong. (In Mandarin with subtitles)
Boy Band (Unrated) Musical comedy
chronicling the reunion of the members
of the Heartthrob Boyz a celebrated
singing group trying to mount a comeback
a couple of decades after their last
hit. Co-starring Jerry O’Connell, Gilbert
Gottfried, Steve Agee, Seth Herzog and
Jordan Carlos.
Ferrante Fever (Unrated) Reverential
biopic about Italian author Elena Ferrante,
whose “Neapolitan Novels” sold
10 million copies across 50+ countries,
leading her to be named one of the 100
Most Influential People in the World by
Time Magazine. Featuring commentary
by Hillary Clinton, Jonathan Franzen and
Roberto Saviano. (In French, English and
Italian with subtitles)
Gloria Bell (R for sexuality, nudity,
profanity and drug use) Julianne Moore
star as the title character in this romance
Kam’s Kapsules
By Kam Williams
drama as a free-spirited divorcee who
unexpectedly finds a new love (John Turturro)
at an L.A. nightclub. Ensemble
cast includes Michael Cera, Rita Wilson,
Sean Astin, Brad Garrett and Jeanne
Tripplehorn.
I’m Not Here (Unrated) Suspense
thriller about a man (J.K. Simmons)
haunted by his past who reflects about a
specific event in his life to try to understand
how he ended up alone. Support
cast includes Sebastian Stan, Maika Monroe
and Mandy Moore.
The Kid (R for profanity and violence)
Fact-based Western about a young boy
(Jake Schur) who witnessed the historic
showdown between Sheriff Pat Garrett
(Ethan Hawke) and the infamous outlaw,
Billy the Kid (Dane DeHaan). With Vincent
D’Onofrio, Leila George and Adam
Baldwin.
The Sex Trip (Unrated) Supernatural
comedy about a shallow womanizer
(Marc Crumpton) who finds himself magically
transformed into a woman (Jade
Ramsey) after rejecting a witch’s (Eve
Sigall) request for a kiss. With Louis
Mandylor, Jim Hanks (Tom’s brother) and
Rebecca Grant.
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