A strong cast including Johnny Depp, Benedict Cumberbatch, Joel Edgerton and Dakota Johnson keeps this engrossing true crime saga, BLACK MASS, very watchable. Set in the 1970's, the story tells of a Boston gangster Whitey Bulger (Depp), who with the help of a childhood friend who now works for the FBI (John Connolly played by Joel Edgerton), ruthlessly takes over the south Boston syndicate by leaking plans of his enemies to Connolly. His own criminal activities are tolerated or ignored because of this friendship, but they ultimately become so egregious that we know soon the ax will fall to all involved. I wish there were more of an emotional connection made to these characters--some of them are disposed of very quickly, and I found Depp's make-up to be rather inconsistent---sometimes effective, sometimes it looks like they didn't bother to make it right. But it is Depp's best film performance in years, and the over two hour film seemed effortless to watch.
GRADE-------------B+
She (Patricia Clarkson) is a distracted intellectual book critic who has just had her husband walk out of her marriage. She meets an east Indian taxi driver (Ben Kingsley) who is being set up in an arranged marriage, and who also teaches driving lessons. The film LEARNING TO DRIVE takes off from there in some surprising ways as these two lonely people drive around New York City, learning from each other how to cope with tough life lessons. Thankfully the film does not fall into the predictable "romantic comedy" trap, and Clarkson and Kingsley play intriguingly off each other. It might be light weight stuff, but it's made with carefully calibrated humanity. GRADE--------B
Based on the novel by the same name, and optioned years ago by Robert Redford as a vehicle for himself and Paul Newman to reteam after BUTCH CASSIDY and THE STING, this true story called A WALK IN THE WOODS features two older men who decide to walk the entire length of the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine--over 2000 miles. Newman died several years ago, so Nick Nolte was recruited. He is a long lost friend who is quite out of shape and wants to walk for his own reasons--mainly to escape from debt and bills. The scenery and photography are terrific, even if the plot rambles, but fortunately, Nick Nolte brightens the film with a comic performance that had me chuckling through the entire film. Light weight, perhaps, but a pleasure to experience. GRADE--------B
THE FOLLOWING FILMS WERE VIEWED ON DVD------
I recently read an exhaustive biography by Donald Spoto about MARILYN MONROE, and felt inspired to watch some of her films that were in my personal library which I hadn't seen for a while. I can definitely state that in all cases, she was by far the most delightful, intriguing presence in each film, whether or not they were "classic" or not.
HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE (1953) is one of my favorites, mainly because Monroe creates a goofy character of a "blind as a bat" girl who won't wear her glasses as long as there is any man in the room---"guys won't make passes at girls who wear glasses." Fortunately, Betty Grable also has fun as a gold digger who mistakenly falls for a poor forester, thinking his trees over which he has domain (as a fire fighter) means he owns thousands of acres. Lauren Bacall is hilarious as a single minded gold digger who doesn't realize the guy who's after her is very rich indeed, but he acts like a casual "gas jockey." The film has a colorful segment where all the women participate in a fashion show, and the film is in glorious Technicolor. And there's a very funny final knee slapper scene! GRADE---------------B+
THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH (1955) is based on a popular stage play that featured much sexual innuendo. Unfortunately, writer George Axelrod and writer director Billy Wilder faced much censorship efforts by the Hayes office (created to censor movie sex and violence.) In the play, nerdy Richard, his wife gone for the summer, has an affair with the upstairs neighbor, a single sexy free spirit. For the film, they were not able to illustrate adultery had actually occurred. Still, there is some sparkling dialogue and humor, and Monroe creates a sympathetic comic "innocent" who seems more than willing. This film contains the iconic scene where Monroe's dress catches the subway wind from below and blows up above her head. For publicity purposes, they filmed the scene out of doors with hundreds of reporters, cameras clicking and the street public cheering. (This experience was the final straw for retired baseball legend husband Joe DiMaggio who disapproved of Monroe's sexy image. He filed for divorce just a few weeks later. They remained friends, however, and near the end of her life they had reconciled, and they apparently had made plans to remarry when she died of a drug overdose. ) Because it was so noisy, the scene was recreated on a sound stage later, but in a much tamer version for the actual film. GRADE----------B
NIAGARA (1953) was an early dramatic starring role for Monroe, and she's quite effective. Married to a jealous older man (Joseph Cotten), she takes a lover, but is discovered by a married neighbor woman (Jean Peters), who becomes involved when the relationship takes a tragic turn. Filmed at the dramatic Niagara Falls area, the suspense film creates some tension up to the final scenes when is loses some energy due to predictability. GRADE---------B
GENTLEMAN PREFER BLONDS (1953) an eye-popping Technicolor musical with a slim plot (mostly set on board a cruise ship headed for Paris) but with at least two fabulous songs. Jane Russell gets to sing the first one--featuring hunky Olympic hopeful men wearing only short shorts swim wear doing athletic exercising while Russell slinks around them singing "Ain't There Anyone Here for Love?". Later Monroe sings the iconic song "Diamonds are a Girls Best Friend" -- and she has the best lines, too. My favorite occurs while she's being instructed as to what exactly a tiara is---" You wear it on your head!?! (Cooing) I just love finding new places to wear diamonds!" GRADE-----B
MARILYN MONROE: THE FINAL DAYS (2001) was a TV movie documentary based on Marilyn's last year, her relationships, drug dependency, filming of her last (unreleased) film and her troubles with the studio. The film also includes about 30 minutes of her last unreleased film, reconstructed, which features famous scenes of her nude swim in a pool. SOMETHING'S GOT TO GIVE featured Monroe, who missed 17 of the first 30 days of filming due to a cold and sinus infection, looking terrific and intriguing as a wife who's been missing, presumed dead, for over 5 years. Her husband (Dean Martin) has just remarried Ava Gardner, when Monroe returns. The film was a remake of an earlier Cary Grant/Irene Dunne film MY FAVORITE WIFE (1940). SOMETHINGS was scrapped after Monroe's death, but remade a year later with Doris Day and James Garner as MOVE OVER DARLING. GRADE---------------B-
THE LUNCHBOX (2013) is a sweet drama about a bored housewife whose lunch to her unfaithful husband is misdirected to an older man, and they begin a relationship through notes to each other in the lunchbox. Set in Mumbai, the film features English and Hindi (subtitles), and is a touching romantic fantasy. GRADE----------B
CAPTAIN FROM CASTILE (1947) is a plotty, talkative epic about a soldier (Tyrone Power) who must flee Spain because he has insulted (and then stabbed) an officer of the Inquisition. He ends up in Mexico and joins the Cortez expedition. There is a lot of plot, and the film is nearly 2 1/2 hours long. It's watchable, thanks to Power, Jean Peters as a servant girl who falls in love with him, and a colorful Cesar Romero who plays Cortez. There are scenes shot in Mexico (1946) where a volcano is erupting in the distance. Apparently, in the 1500's another volcano was erupting as the events were happening, noted on the historical records. GRADE-------B
HAMLET 2 (2008) is a goofy comedy with Steve Coogan playing a free spirited drama teacher with a class full of outcasts and a school that is trying to discontinue the arts program. His wife Catherine Keener is sympathetic but tired of his inability to move beyond teaching. He decides to write a sequel to Shakespeare's HAMLET (!!!???) and even though there are some predictable moments, there are some bright spots of slapstick humor and clever dialogue. Amy Poehler, Elizabeth Shue and David Arquette add some comic flair. GRADE------ B-
THE DROWNING POOL (1975) has Paul Newman returning to the HARPER (1966) character he created a decade earlier. Joanne Woodward plays an ex love who hires him to find out who is sending her threatening letters. Of course he gets in deeper and deeper in corrupt family politics, and of course, no one is telling him the truth. Set in New Orleans, there are some fascinating characters, among them Tony Franciosa, Melanie Griffith, Murray Hamilton and Gail Strickland. There is an excellent climactic scene (hence the title), but the plot is mostly luke warm noir. GRADE--------B-
WET, HOT AMERICAN SUMMER (2001) has become a cult classic lately, and been made into a Netflex TV series this year with much of the cast returning. And what a cast it is! Janeanne Garofalo, David Hyde Peirce, Michael Showalter, Michael Ian Black, Paul Rudd, Christopher Meloni, Molly Shannon, Amy Poehler, Bradley Cooper and Elizabeth Banks. Unfortunately, the film plays like an extended Saturday Night Live sketch, and many jokes fall flat. It is fun to see the cast over 14 years ago, as most of them have gone on to bigger things. GRADE-------C+.
RIDE (2014) was written and directed by Helen Hunt, and she also stars as an obsessive working NYC mother who can't let her son live his own life. He goes to spend time with his dad in L.A. during the summer before college, then decides to quit school and stay in L.A. surfing. Mom freaks out, flies to L.A. to spy on him, then takes up surfing to spend some time when he finds her spying on him and naturally gets angry. I couldn't figure out her character, and her actions seemed unbelievable to me, as well as annoying. Hunt is dangerously thin in this film (as she was in SESSIONS 2012, too) and looks like she's had some plastic surgery that makes her look gaunt and overly severe. To her credit, her direction is fine, and she throws herself into learning how to surf--scenes which require her to "wipe out" a lot--way too much for me. Luke Wilson plays in a laid back manner the surf instructor she hires, and, natch, she has an affair with him although she is (probably) 20 years older than him. Brenton Thwaites plays her son, but he has little emotional "meat" to work with from this script. This is a straight to TV movie, and it's easy to see why. GRADE---------C
THESE THOUSAND HILLS (1959) is a lack luster western about a young man torn between two women--Lee Remick plays the prostitute who seduces him (Don Murray) and Patricia Owens is the respectable one. Richard Egan plays the bad guy who wants Remick, and he has dubious morals when it comes to law enforcement. Stuart Whitman barely registers as Murray's long time friend who has drifted into a life of crime. I saw this one just days ago, but I can hardly remember anything about it. Not good. GRADE------C
UNFINISHED BUSINESS (2015) opened and closed quickly last March--I'm not even sure it opened in Seattle, and it's easy to see why. Vince Vaughn is quitting his sales job (selling scraps of scrap metal !?!) as the film opens, and sets out to start his own company, with an old guy (Tom Wilkinson) and a way to young stupid guy (Dave Franco)--both played as cliches. Flash forward one year, and they are off to Germany to close a big deal with a handshake that they can't close in the U.S. (!?!) They have various adventures that include drugs, sex, an extended scene in a gay bar bathroom with "glory holes" and frantic calls using SKYPE back home where he must deal with his young daughter being a bully and his Goth want -to -be son being bullied, and EVERYTHING depends on closing this deal. I will admit that I laughed about 10 times, usually because of the shock value in certain outrageous scenes, but the plot line/ story is BORING--there is no interest in a business deal involving scraps of scrap metal, and the film moves from one outrageous unbelievable scene to another and many scenes make absolutely NO sense. Thank God I laughed occasionally, or I'd give it a D-. GRADE-------C-
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
MISTRESS AMERICA, DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRL, AMERICAN ULTRA, SHAUN THE SHEEP, 7 CHINESE BROTHERS, GUIDANCE plus middling but watchable Marlon Brando and BROTHER SUN SISTER MOON (1972)
Here comes the end of summer movies before the seriousness that is FALL......
A modern madcap comedy that fires off witty, clever dialogue that you haven't heard the likes of since Katherine Hepburn or Bette Davis at their peak, MISTRESS AMERICA is Noah Baumbach's newest (others include THE SQUID AND THE WHALE 2005, FRANCIS HA 2012 and the recent WHILE WE'RE YOUNG 2015)featuring his wife Greta Gerwig as a spunky woman/child still full of giddy energy, who takes her new step sister to be under her wing in the big New York City, charming everyone she meets. We don't always like her--she can make us wince at times, but she resounds with positive vibes and general good will. This talky comedy may not be every one's cup of tea, but if you like your films with style, humor and sophistication, then this will be for you. GRADE------A-
THE DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRL has a lot going for it, especially the leads including Bel Powley who gives an all out performance as the title character dealing with loneliness, sex, drugs, and alienation during the wild mid 1970's era of San Francisco, and Kristen Wiig as her super-liberal mom and Alex Skarsgard as mom's boyfriend. Powley is very effective when she discovers her own sexual appeal and the control she has over Skarsgard. The relationship is not exploitative, but it IS very sexual, which surprised me, and I laughed uncomfortably at times as she continues her sexual conquests over her shyness and men (and women). The film features intriguing snippets of animation at times to highlight the feelings and situations, and there is rarely a false emotional move in the film. My main objection, which keeps me from giving DIARY an even higher score is the obnoxious hand held camera work that kept pulling me out of the narrative. GRADE--------B+
Violent, sexy, smart, and intriguing, with a lot of zingy humor, AMERICAN ULTRA surprised me by being a totally unique experience. Jesse Eisenberg plays a stoner grocery clerk who lives with his stoner enabling girlfriend (Kristen Stewart) in a small town. An encounter with a strange woman at his store triggers something in his mind, and suddenly things are not what they seemed on the surface. There are a number of twists in the plot, and the body count is high--to say much more may ruin the clever narrative for some. Give it a try, it is a KICK. GRADE-------B
An enchanting animated animal adventure with out a word of dialogue, the British film SHAUN THE SHEEP comes to us from the people who made the WALLACE AND GROMIT series. The simple plot has Shaun wanting a day off from the dull routine of daily farming, so he accidentally sends the farmer careening off down the road to the big city. When the sheep realize that their lives are better with the farmer than without him, they go after him. For what is basically a children's film, the clever jokes, story and characters are surprisingly smart, and at the matinee I attended, the children (and adults) were incredibly attentive to the movie screen the whole time. GRADE------B
This laid back slacker comedy called, for no apparent reason, 7 CHINESE BROTHERS, features a very lazy slacker performance by Jason Schwartzman who doesn't seem to have much energy for working and making money. He does, however, visit his perky grandmother in a senior home on a regular basis (Olympia Dukakis) and makes some fun of those who do work. The film is leisurely directed, and not much happens. The film doesn't end so much as just STOP, but I enjoyed the film's humor once I got into the milieu. Some people at SIFF really hated it, however. You've been warned. GRADE-------B-
The Canadian film GUIDANCE is a low budget comedy about a seriously dysfunctional man who used to be a child actor, who is now desperate for a job. He unbelievably gets a job as a high school guidance councilor, encouraging kids to smoke pot and take pills and drink alcohol---all of which he does daily, to solve their personal issues at school. The writer /director/ star is Pat Mills, and he is goofy, silly, moving, and hilariously awesome and if you are in the right mood, this could become one of your favorite GUILTY PLEASURES, like it is mine. GRADE--------------B-
______________________________
The following were viewed on DVD's......
I first saw BROTHER SUN SISTER MOON (1972) several times when it came out whilst in college, and it struck me as a beautifully filmed portrait of St. Francis of Assisi, from before his conversion to his visit with Pope Innocent III in Rome. It moved me deeply as a rare film that deals with love of humanity, love of nature, love of innocence, without the cynicism that such themes often incur. The simple song score by Donovan was apparently added just for the US release, but the music fits well with the tone. I was glad to see that the film, directed by the master Franco Zeffirelli (ROMEO AND JULIET 1967, ENDLESS LOVE 1981, TEA WITH MUSSOLINI 1999 and many opera to film versions) holds up so well. Especially emotional is the scene when St. Francis meets Pope Innocent III. It's a masterpiece of understatement. This is one of my all time favorites. GRADE----A-
I don't recall that this version of NICHOLAS NICKLEBY (2002) ever had a local theatrical release, but there are many things to recommend it. The excellent cast includes Charlie Hunnam, Jamie Bell, Anne Hathaway, Nathan Lane, Christopher Plummer, Timothy Spall, Barry Humphries and Juliet Stevenson. The script is an excellent adaption of the Charles Dickens novel, the music by Rachel Portman is beguiling, and the production values are even better than many Masterpiece Theatre productions. GRADE-------B+
An unusual international production of a kidnapping thriller, THE NIGHT OF THE FOLLOWING DAY (1968) is saved by a quirky, menacing Marlon Brando as a kidnapper who with his drug addicted girlfriend (Rita Moreno) and his sadistic partner (Richard Boone) hold a young heiress for ransom in an isolated beach cabin. A lot of tension is created since the criminals don't trust each other, and the sadist projects sexual violence. The finale is violent, if predictable. GRADE---------B-
Special effects inter cut with vintage film of the real catastrophe is the main reason for watching THE HINDENBERG (1975) which features George C. Scott, Anne Bancroft, William Atherton and others in this semi-fictionalized story of the explosion of the zeppelin that has just arrived in the US from Germany during the Nazi era. The film is handsome in costume, set design, photography and some of the actors are accomplished. Mainly the script is awkward and unconvincing at times, and the direction (by Robert Wise) seems to lumber along. Watchable but dull, until the end. GRADE-----C+
THE CROWDED SKY (1960) is an early disaster movie starring Dana Andrews as a pilot who discovers too late that his radar system is not working while he is mid-air. Other stand out actors included Rhonda Fleming, Troy Donahue and Efrem Zimbalist Jr. There is some suspense including another subplot that has a passenger jet in trouble and possible on a collision course with the broken fighter jet, and there are lots of flashbacks--who will live, who will die, who cares.
Watchable, but who cares? GRADE-------C+
Charlie Chaplin directed this dull film (his last) A COUNTESS FROM HONG KONG (1967), which is helped along by his famous music score. Marlon Brando seems heavy handed trying to do comedy. Sophia Loren has a lighter touch, but the film is light weight and tiresome much of the time. GRADE-------C
THE PROUD ONES (1956) is a western that I simply cannot remember seeing a month ago, even though I've looked it up. Must not have made much of an impression, although it wasn't that bad. Robert Ryan is a sheriff and he is helped by Jeffrey Hunter, whose vivid blue eyes I do remember.
GRADE---------------C
A modern madcap comedy that fires off witty, clever dialogue that you haven't heard the likes of since Katherine Hepburn or Bette Davis at their peak, MISTRESS AMERICA is Noah Baumbach's newest (others include THE SQUID AND THE WHALE 2005, FRANCIS HA 2012 and the recent WHILE WE'RE YOUNG 2015)featuring his wife Greta Gerwig as a spunky woman/child still full of giddy energy, who takes her new step sister to be under her wing in the big New York City, charming everyone she meets. We don't always like her--she can make us wince at times, but she resounds with positive vibes and general good will. This talky comedy may not be every one's cup of tea, but if you like your films with style, humor and sophistication, then this will be for you. GRADE------A-
THE DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRL has a lot going for it, especially the leads including Bel Powley who gives an all out performance as the title character dealing with loneliness, sex, drugs, and alienation during the wild mid 1970's era of San Francisco, and Kristen Wiig as her super-liberal mom and Alex Skarsgard as mom's boyfriend. Powley is very effective when she discovers her own sexual appeal and the control she has over Skarsgard. The relationship is not exploitative, but it IS very sexual, which surprised me, and I laughed uncomfortably at times as she continues her sexual conquests over her shyness and men (and women). The film features intriguing snippets of animation at times to highlight the feelings and situations, and there is rarely a false emotional move in the film. My main objection, which keeps me from giving DIARY an even higher score is the obnoxious hand held camera work that kept pulling me out of the narrative. GRADE--------B+
Violent, sexy, smart, and intriguing, with a lot of zingy humor, AMERICAN ULTRA surprised me by being a totally unique experience. Jesse Eisenberg plays a stoner grocery clerk who lives with his stoner enabling girlfriend (Kristen Stewart) in a small town. An encounter with a strange woman at his store triggers something in his mind, and suddenly things are not what they seemed on the surface. There are a number of twists in the plot, and the body count is high--to say much more may ruin the clever narrative for some. Give it a try, it is a KICK. GRADE-------B
An enchanting animated animal adventure with out a word of dialogue, the British film SHAUN THE SHEEP comes to us from the people who made the WALLACE AND GROMIT series. The simple plot has Shaun wanting a day off from the dull routine of daily farming, so he accidentally sends the farmer careening off down the road to the big city. When the sheep realize that their lives are better with the farmer than without him, they go after him. For what is basically a children's film, the clever jokes, story and characters are surprisingly smart, and at the matinee I attended, the children (and adults) were incredibly attentive to the movie screen the whole time. GRADE------B
This laid back slacker comedy called, for no apparent reason, 7 CHINESE BROTHERS, features a very lazy slacker performance by Jason Schwartzman who doesn't seem to have much energy for working and making money. He does, however, visit his perky grandmother in a senior home on a regular basis (Olympia Dukakis) and makes some fun of those who do work. The film is leisurely directed, and not much happens. The film doesn't end so much as just STOP, but I enjoyed the film's humor once I got into the milieu. Some people at SIFF really hated it, however. You've been warned. GRADE-------B-
The Canadian film GUIDANCE is a low budget comedy about a seriously dysfunctional man who used to be a child actor, who is now desperate for a job. He unbelievably gets a job as a high school guidance councilor, encouraging kids to smoke pot and take pills and drink alcohol---all of which he does daily, to solve their personal issues at school. The writer /director/ star is Pat Mills, and he is goofy, silly, moving, and hilariously awesome and if you are in the right mood, this could become one of your favorite GUILTY PLEASURES, like it is mine. GRADE--------------B-
______________________________
The following were viewed on DVD's......
I first saw BROTHER SUN SISTER MOON (1972) several times when it came out whilst in college, and it struck me as a beautifully filmed portrait of St. Francis of Assisi, from before his conversion to his visit with Pope Innocent III in Rome. It moved me deeply as a rare film that deals with love of humanity, love of nature, love of innocence, without the cynicism that such themes often incur. The simple song score by Donovan was apparently added just for the US release, but the music fits well with the tone. I was glad to see that the film, directed by the master Franco Zeffirelli (ROMEO AND JULIET 1967, ENDLESS LOVE 1981, TEA WITH MUSSOLINI 1999 and many opera to film versions) holds up so well. Especially emotional is the scene when St. Francis meets Pope Innocent III. It's a masterpiece of understatement. This is one of my all time favorites. GRADE----A-
I don't recall that this version of NICHOLAS NICKLEBY (2002) ever had a local theatrical release, but there are many things to recommend it. The excellent cast includes Charlie Hunnam, Jamie Bell, Anne Hathaway, Nathan Lane, Christopher Plummer, Timothy Spall, Barry Humphries and Juliet Stevenson. The script is an excellent adaption of the Charles Dickens novel, the music by Rachel Portman is beguiling, and the production values are even better than many Masterpiece Theatre productions. GRADE-------B+
An unusual international production of a kidnapping thriller, THE NIGHT OF THE FOLLOWING DAY (1968) is saved by a quirky, menacing Marlon Brando as a kidnapper who with his drug addicted girlfriend (Rita Moreno) and his sadistic partner (Richard Boone) hold a young heiress for ransom in an isolated beach cabin. A lot of tension is created since the criminals don't trust each other, and the sadist projects sexual violence. The finale is violent, if predictable. GRADE---------B-
Special effects inter cut with vintage film of the real catastrophe is the main reason for watching THE HINDENBERG (1975) which features George C. Scott, Anne Bancroft, William Atherton and others in this semi-fictionalized story of the explosion of the zeppelin that has just arrived in the US from Germany during the Nazi era. The film is handsome in costume, set design, photography and some of the actors are accomplished. Mainly the script is awkward and unconvincing at times, and the direction (by Robert Wise) seems to lumber along. Watchable but dull, until the end. GRADE-----C+
THE CROWDED SKY (1960) is an early disaster movie starring Dana Andrews as a pilot who discovers too late that his radar system is not working while he is mid-air. Other stand out actors included Rhonda Fleming, Troy Donahue and Efrem Zimbalist Jr. There is some suspense including another subplot that has a passenger jet in trouble and possible on a collision course with the broken fighter jet, and there are lots of flashbacks--who will live, who will die, who cares.
Watchable, but who cares? GRADE-------C+
Charlie Chaplin directed this dull film (his last) A COUNTESS FROM HONG KONG (1967), which is helped along by his famous music score. Marlon Brando seems heavy handed trying to do comedy. Sophia Loren has a lighter touch, but the film is light weight and tiresome much of the time. GRADE-------C
THE PROUD ONES (1956) is a western that I simply cannot remember seeing a month ago, even though I've looked it up. Must not have made much of an impression, although it wasn't that bad. Robert Ryan is a sheriff and he is helped by Jeffrey Hunter, whose vivid blue eyes I do remember.
GRADE---------------C
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