Elisabeth Moss is terrific (again) in new Shirley Jackson movie.
Also worth seeing: ‘Freestyle Love Supreme’ documentary
Meryl Streep gets showered with so many accolades, but now it’s Elisabeth Moss’ turn to receive some awards love. She’s one of the best actresses today. From the resilient, resourceful Peggy on AMC’s “Mad Men” to the determined, tough domestic-abuse survivor Cecilia in “The Invisible Man,” Moss can seemingly tackle any part and make it her own. In Josephine Decker’s literary and joyously unconventional biopic “Shirley,” the versatile actress embodies macabre novelist Shirley Jackson. Every wannabe actor needs to study what Moss, donning Jacksonesque specs, achieves with merely a glance, a simple gesture. From the burrowed silences at the dinner table to drunken, venomous tirades, Moss, Decker and skilled screenwriter Sarah Grubbins create a compelling portrait of a writer whose obsessive creativity was muffled by the patriarchal culture of the late 1940s to early ’60s. Decker’s version centers on a visit by an attractive young couple, Rose (Odessa Young) and wannabe English professor Fred (Logan Lerman), to the barbladen intellectual homestead of Shirley and her pretentious, philandering professor hubby Stanley (Michael Stuhlbarg), Fred’s mentor. The die is cast and the vulnerable duo preyed on. The agoraphobic Shirley toys and falls for Rose, who willingly assumes the role of housekeeper and researcher for Shirley’s latest venture, a novel based on the disappearance of a coed. Decker and Grubbins’ film captures how the male-dominated academia world mistreated women and allowed them to be taken advantage of. Decker — who explored female ambition and competition in “Madeline, Madeline” — weaves an intricate feminist tale that’s intent on providing more context than a traditional biopic. She creates a seductive, complex portrait of both the artist and the chauvinistic era in which she and other women lived and worked. Seamlessly edited, stunningly photographed and blanketed in one of the best, most adventurous scores of the year, “Shirley” is a haunting and atmospheric feature that reflects the tone and texture of Jackson’s works. It’s one of the best films of 2020. DETAILS >> available on several platforms; also check West Wind Drive-In schedule for Bay Area screenings; www. westwinddi.com. >> At a potentially precarious point in this upbeat documentary on the the influential New York hip-hop improv group that features Lin-Manuel Miranda, fear creeps in that it’ll descend into a smoochfest. Director Andrew Fried avoids that, revealing the casualties of fame amid this group of up-and-comers. A crowdpleaser at the Sundance Film Festival, “We Are Freestyle Love Supreme” celebrates creative expression and embraces humanity and humor. It’s poetry in motion and will tide you over till “Hamilton” hits Disney Plus in July. DETAILS >> available Friday on Hulu. “SPELLING THE DREAM” >> Sam Rega’s family-friendly documentary takes a traditional approach to a crowd-pleasing topic — youths, sometimes as young as 7, competing in the Scripps National Spelling Bee — and then explores why Indian Americans continue to dominate. The kids are the stars here, and they are adorable and inspiring. It makes for ideal family entertainment. DETAILS >> Netflix. “JUDY AND PUNCH” >> In this grim but darkly humorous fable, a feuding couple who are struggling puppeteers go under the microscope, revealing a vile 16th-century relationship in which the abusive alcoholic Punch (Damon Herriman) shatters the world of the creative Judy (Mia Wasikowska). Filmmaker Mirrah Foulkes’ feature debut is gutsy, confident and shocking — a knockout punch to a patriarchal society. DETAILS >> available on various platforms. “END OF SENTENCE” >> Brilliant character actor John Hawkes teams with Logan Lerman in this film about a grieving father (Hawkes) and an estranged son (Lerman) forced together to grant a final request — spreading the ashes of their wife/mon at a special lake in Ireland. That might sound like an oft-traveled scenario, but screenwriter Michael Armbruster and the leads mine something more authentic, less sentimental. Sarah Bolger excels as a new passenger on the journey. DETAILS>> available on various platforms. “URSULA VON RYDINGSVARD: INTO HEROWN”>> As anyone who has endured an inexplicably drawnout film knows, brevity can be an outstanding quality. Filmmaker Daniel Traub has done an extraordinary job — in under 60 minutes — of creating a rich portrait of a artist and her striking sculpture. If you loved the Andy Goldsworthy documentary “Rivers and Tides,” this one is a must. DETAILS >> screening as part of the virtual cinema program at websites of Berkeley Pacific Film Archive, bampfa.org/ from-home#watch-from-home; Christopher B. Smith Rafael Theater, rafaelfilm.cafilm.org; and Roxie Theater, www.roxie.com. “ANGELFISH” >> Peter Lee’s traditional first feature swoons with sincerity and heart, telling a gentle Bronx-set tale about two sympathetic young people from different backgrounds turnstiling through the throes of love. It’s not a groundbreaker, but it is filled with real emotions and situations along with two poignant star-making performances from Destiny Nicole Frasqueri — aka Princess Nokia — and Jimi Stanton. DETAILS >> \*\*\*; free on Tubi, available for rental on other platforms.