New York Magazine - USA (2019-12-23)

70 new york | december 23, 2019–january 5, 2020

year in culture / the critics

1.

Once Upon a Time

in Hollywood

In this gorgeously meandering

farrago, two aging, increasingly

irrelevant white males from ’50s

cowboy TV recover their mojo

enough to defend themselves against

dirty hippie girls and thereby save

a blonde, pregnant movie princess

from being butchered. On paper,

it sounds a tad ... reactionary. But

Quentin Tarantino’s tenth film—star-

ring Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad

Pitt—is more wistful pipe dream than

manifesto. Above all, it’s a fetishis-

tic collage of ’60s bric-a-brac that

transcends its inspirations, building

to a denouement at once euphoric

and heartbreaking. Yet again, Tar-

antino has created a unique frame

in which to examine (or maybe just

to live inside) the movie world that,

for better or worse, made him.

2.

The Irishman

Shaped around the 1975 (presumed)

killing of erstwhile Teamsters

president Jimmy Hoffa, Martin

Scorsese’s three-and-a-half-hour

film is notable for what it doesn’t

have: flashy set pieces, whip pans to

carnage, or Rolling Stones songs to

pump up the adrenaline. It’s a work

of self-abnegation that’s set where

Scorsese normally showboats, cast

with aging Scorsese vets Robert De

Niro and Joe Pesci (who’s sublime),

plus a guest star, Al Pacino, from the

other landmark gangster film of the

director’s era. Narrated by the elderly

title character, a sometime hit man,

from a wheelchair in a Catholic

convalescent home, the movie is

steeped in regret, not so much for

what was done as for what was

done but not felt. Scorsese all but

acknowledges that this is an old

man’s movie: Taking his cue from

his increasingly infirm characters,

he won’t let himself hide behind

motion. The paralysis becomes him.

3.

Diane

Critic, documentarian, and

former festival director Kent

Jones’s first fiction film centers

on the exquisitely expressive

Mary Kay Place as a compulsive

do-gooder out to expiate her sins

while everyone in her little town

is either dying or on the brink

(though we’re all on the brink).

This naturalistic drama with the

odd Expressionist flourish is a

candidate for the most depressing

ever made, but once you accept

its untranscendent, death-centric

baseline, it’s strangely exhilarat-

ing. Sequences are broken by

shots of passing rural landscapes

through a windshield, the pro-

tagonist going—like all of us—

from someplace to someplace on

the road to who knows where.

4.

Little Women

You can feel the giddy, slightly

galumphing Greta Gerwig of

Frances Ha in her breathtaking

adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s

classic 19th-century weeper, in

which Jo March (Saoirse Ronan)

struggles to find her voice as a

THE TEN

BEST

MOV IES

OF THE

YEAR

By david edelstein

PHOTOGRAPHS: COURTESY OF STUDIOSPHOTOGRAPHS: COURTESY OF STUDIOS

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70 newyork| december23,2019–january5, 2020

year in culture / the critics

1.

OnceUpona Time

inHollywood

Inthisgorgeouslymeandering

farrago,twoaging,increasingly

irrelevantwhitemalesfrom’50s

cowboyTVrecovertheirmojo

enoughtodefendthemselvesagainst

dirty hippiegirlsandtherebysave

a blonde,pregnantmovieprincess

frombeingbutchered.Onpaper,

it soundsa tad...reactionary.But

QuentinTarantino’stenthfilm—star-

ringLeonardo DiCaprio and Brad

Pitt—ismore wistful pipe dream than

manifesto. Above all, it’s a fetishis-

tic collage of ’60s bric-a-brac that

transcends its inspirations, building

to a denouement at once euphoric

and heartbreaking. Yet again, Tar-

antino has created a unique frame

in which to examine (or maybe just

to live inside) the movie world that,

for better or worse, made him.

2.

The Irishman

Shaped around the 1975 (presumed)

killingoferstwhileTeamsters

presidentJimmyHoffa,Martin

Scorsese’s three-and-a-half-hour

filmis notableforwhat it doesn’t

have:flashyset pieces,whippansto

carnage,orRollingStonessongsto

pumpuptheadrenaline.It’sa work

ofself-abnegationthat’sset where

Scorsesenormallyshowboats,cast

withagingScorsesevetsRobertDe

NiroandJoePesci(who’ssublime),

plusa gueststar,AlPacino,fromthe

otherlandmarkgangsterfilmofthe

director’sera. Narratedbytheelderly

titlecharacter,a sometimehitman,

froma wheelchairina Catholic

convalescenthome,themovieis

steepedinregret,notsomuchfor

whatwasdoneasforwhat was

donebutnotfelt.Scorseseallbut

acknowledgesthat thisis anold

man’s movie:Takinghiscuefrom

hisincreasinglyinfirmcharacters,

hewon’t let himselfhidebehind

motion.Theparalysisbecomeshim.

3.

Diane

Critic,documentarian,and

former festival director Kent

Jones’s first fiction film centers

on the exquisitely expressive

Mary Kay Place as a compulsive

do-gooder out to expiate her sins

while everyone in her little town

is either dying or on the brink

(though we’re all on the brink).

This naturalistic drama with the

odd Expressionist flourish is a

candidate for the most depressing

ever made, but once you accept

its untranscendent, death-centric

baseline, it’s strangely exhilarat-

ing.Sequencesare brokenby

shotsofpassingrurallandscapes

througha windshield,thepro-

tagonist going—likeallofus—

fromsomeplacetosomeplaceon

theroadtowhoknowswhere.

4.

LittleWomen

Youcanfeelthegiddy, slightly

galumphingGretaGerwigof

FrancesHainherbreathtaking

adaptationofLouisaMayAlcott’s

classic19th-centuryweeper, in

whichJoMarch(SaoirseRonan)

strugglestofindhervoiceasa

THE TEN

BEST

MOV IES

OF THE

YEAR

Bydavidedelstein

PHOTOGRAPHS: COURTESY OF STUDIOS