90 Movies in 90 Days: Wild Nights With Emily (2019)

I’m kicking off 2023 by trying to watch and review one movie every day for the first 90 days, all of which will be 90 minutes or less.

Title: Wild Nights With Emily
Release Date: April 12, 2019
Director: Madeleine Olnek
Production Company:P2 Films | UnLTD Productions | Salem Street Entertainment | Embrem Entertainment
Summary/Review:

Debunking the myths of Emily Dickinson, Wild Nights with Emily depicts actual events from her life as a romantic comedy.  Molly Shannon stars as Dickinson with Susan Ziegler portraying Dickinson’s long-term romantic partner Susan Gilbert. Amy Seimetz also stars as Mabel Todd, who posthumously published Dickinson’s poems, modifying them to hide that she wrote love poems addressed to Susan.  There are a number of gags that will appeal especially to English majors, such as a singalong to the tune of “Yellow Rose of Texas.”  Overall it’s a fun and clever film that shows the real Dickinson was much more interesting than the myths.

Rating: ***1/2

50 Years 50 Movies (2011): Bernie

I will turn 50 in November of this year, so my project for 2023 will be to watch and review one movie from each year of my life.  The only qualification is that it has to be a movie I’ve not reviewed previously.

Note: Each week I’m choosing a year randomly and then deciding what movie to watch from that year.  You can help by voting in the poll below!  Next week’s year is

2011

Top Grossing Movies of 2011:

1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2
2. Transformers: Dark of the Moon
3. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1
4. The Hangover Part II
5. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Best Picture Oscar Nominees and Winner of 2011:

• The Artist
• The Descendants
• Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
• The Help
• Hugo
• Midnight in Paris
• Moneyball
• The Tree of Life
• War Horse

Other Movies I’ve Reviewed from 2011:

• Attack the Block
• Being Elmo
• Bill Cunningham New York
• Bridesmaids
• Captain America: The First Avenger
• Cars 2
• Jane Eyre 
• Jiro Dreams of Sushi
• The Muppets
• Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension
• Prohibition
• Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles
• Thor
• Urbanized
• We Were Here
• Winnie the Pooh
• Zookeeper
  

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Title: Bernie
Release Date: June 16, 2011
Director: Richard Linklater
Production Company: Castle Rock Entertainment | Mandalay Vision | Wind Dancer Films | Detour Filmproduction | Collins House Productions | Horsethief Pictures
Summary/Review:

I like Jack Black and I like Richard Linklater so I figured  I’d like this movie.  Inspired by real-life events, Black portrays Bernie Tiede, a charismatic funeral director who becomes a beloved figure in his small town in East Texas.  He forms a (possibly romantic) relationship with a much older widow, Margie Nugent (Shirley MacLaine) who is thought of as “the meanest woman in town.”  Margie’s controlling/manipulative behavior turns the relationship sour and then Bernie murders her.

The movie is done in a documentary style the feels inspired by Errol Morris films with ordinary folk providing gossipy commentary.  Black puts in a great performance reminiscent of when other funny guys like Bill Murray and Adam Sandler took the leap into a “serious” role. He also does a good job of demonstrating the mortuary arts. Linklater regular Matthew McConaughey also steals the screen as a flashy district attorney.

Rating: ***