I'm trying to catch up on all the flood of year end films, so hopefully in the next couple of weeks I can publish my top films of 2016. Here's what I've seen this last month of the year.
Painful guilt and regret steep the well acted MANCHESTER BY THE SEA, as a sudden death forces a young middle aged man (an excellent Casey Affleck) back to his hometown to organize his older brother's funeral, and face his demons. He is also named the guardian of his teen aged nephew, a task that he vehemently rejects, and must also confront his ex-wife (a translucent Michelle Williams.) As his history unfolds, it becomes evident what ghosts haunt his past. The film is written and directed by Kenneth Lonergan who wrote and directed the moving film YOU CAN COUNT ON ME (2000) but I'm partial to his last nearly unseen film MARGARET (2011) about a teen who witnesses a tragic accident and tries to set thing right but is met with road blocks by the adults around her. That film is some kind of masterpiece which has haunted me for nearly five years...............GRADE-------B+
The great two time Oscar winning director Ang Lee has once again impressed me with BILLY LYNN'S LONG HALFTIME WALK, adapted from a best selling novel about a young soldier home on temporary leave who is showered with praise for his role in a horrible battle in Iraq and must tour the country to accept the (sometimes) vacant praise of his public. The story makes a number of vivid, shocking points regarding the pointlessness of war and the abuse soldiers can receive from the public. Ang used a higher frames per second technique and has been criticized for using it for what is basically a drama (not a science fiction blockbuster, apparently) but in most theatres that technique is not so noticeable (only three theatres in the world were equipped to project it to greatest effect) , and I give him kudos for experimenting such a potentially important visual effect. Kristen Stewart is very effective in a small role as his sister, and the film, which has not done much business in the United States, is about the trials of veterans of the Iraq war--not a popular subject for Americans. Too bad, because it is a smart, engrossing, disturbing film. GRADE--------B+
Based on a true story, LOVING is a well acted, low key telling of an interracial couple in the early 1960's who must fight for the right to marry in Virginia just prior to the equal rights laws that were adapted shortly thereafter. The chemistry between Ruth Negga and Joel Edgerton really keep the viewer involved. GRADE------------B+
Watching the new Star Wars Story ROGUE ONE, it felt like wrapping up in a warm soft blanket by a fireplace, reading a lovely old novel. The film is just as engaging as any other STAR WARS film, and of course, the pacing, editing, music and set design are all first rate. Fans will be happy. GRADE-----------B+
The new science fiction film PASSENGERS plays like a deep space chamber drama for four people, with some humor and romance thrown in for good measure. The first half works the best, as traveler Chris Pratt is accidentally woken from what was supposed to be a 90 year nap while traveling to another world, but he finds his life aboard the empty vessel to be very lonely. A year later when another passenger (Jennifer Lawrence) wakes, the two begin what seems like an idyllic life together, until the truth about how they were awaken threatens their love and life. It is a small film, but I enjoyed the special effects and tension created by the lonely life in deep space. GRADE----------B+
Some of it may feel a bit calculated, but there is no denying that Jessica Chastain inhabits her new role as MISS SLOANE, a high profile lobbyist who wins a lot. When she starts a new high profile case, the film twists and turns in a very entertaining fashion and the thriller ends in a surprising manner. GRADE-----B
Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard are pretty, movie star like characters in the slick, World War II thriller ALLIED that is easy to watch, but I wish it was even better. Soldier Pitt suspects his wife may be a German spy, and the action and suspense keep you watching this lovingly photographed film. GRADE--------B
This odd, amusing tale set in pre-Harry Potter times and set in New York City features Eddie Redmayne as a wizard who is a care taker for lots of strange animals. The fanciful tale, STRANGE BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM, was written by the author of the Potter novels, J.K. Rowlings, and it is fitfully wondrous. I am mildly curious to see another chapter of this story. My main complaint is that nearly every scene is filmed at night or in a darkened room, or in rainy or snowy weather. I had a headache trying to watch the perpetually darkened screen. GRADE----------B
When a Chinese taxi driver hits a motorcyclist due to his drunken passenger, he helps the injured man to the hospital, but finds himself liable for his medical bills, plunging his family into a desperate downward spiral of destitution, in this film noir thriller that becomes bloodier as it progresses, in OLD STONE . This is a first feature from Johnny Ma and one looks forward to seeing what else he can do. GRADE---------B
She may have a colorful way with costume design and make up, but the LOVE WITCH director needs a better story and better actors. Director/writer Anna Biller certainly creates a look--a pop Technicolor tribute to the hippie 70's, but the story has a woman who uses potions and magic to seduce men into loving her, but this was dull--the men become tiresome to her so she kills them off. Yawn.
GRADE----------D+
______________________Viewed on DVD___________________
EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE 2011---Nominated for best picture and best supporting actor (Max von Sydow), this clever, moving drama about a child trying to understand the sudden death of his father during 9/11 turns into a mystery as he tries to find the owner or lock for a key that he thinks his father (Tom Hanks) left for him, since they always played mind games with each other. His desperate mother (Sandra Bullock) tries to break through, as the kid scours New York City, meeting new people and making friends. Wonderfully creative and moving. GRADE-----A
UP 2009---Superior Walt Disney animation with a moving, sentimental story, helped along with dollops of humor by the cranky old man (voiced by Ed Asner.) GRADE-------A
CRIME IN THE STREETS 1956--The promotional cover of the DVD is quite lurid--so that I forgot that I'd seen this film about 2 years earlier. James Whitmore plays a social worker who tries to defend and defuse some angry teenagers in a very poor part of town. They are well played by a young John Cassavettes, future director Mark Rydell and the wonderful Sal Mineo as "Baby." GRADE----B+
RANDOM HARVEST 1942--Sentimental drama about a man who wakes up after an accident having had amnesia, returns home to his wealthy lifestyle, forgetting all about the family he had started with Greer Garson for many years earlier. Pleasant enough tear-jerker. GRADE------B
SARAH'S KEY 2010--A young boy is left locked in a closet when the Nazis pickup his family. Decades later, the new owner (Kristen Scott Thomas) of the apartment feels compelled to trace the family roots and discovers some disturbing issues, including her own reservations towards her family. GRADE-------B
THE RAT RACE-2001--When I first saw this 15 years ago, I remember laughing a lot, but I couldn't remember anything about the plot or characters except Rowan Atkinson's weird Italian accent. Watching it recently, the first 20 minutes is deadly dull, but if you stick around to the start of the race (all contestants are racing to get to a bag of 2 million dollars first) things pick up for some zany slapstick fun. The funny ensemble cast includes Breckin Meyer, Amy Smart, Whoopi Goldberg, Cuba Gooding Jr. Seth Green, John Cleese, Jon Lovitz, Kathy Nijamy, Dave Thomas, Wayne Knight, and many more, and most of them have some very very funny slapstick moments. If you get in the mood, the last hour is a hoot. (It is sort of a funnier, shorter version of IT'S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD....) GRADE-------B
THIS CHRISTMAS 2007--A smooth comic version of the family gathering for a Christmas celebration with the son with a secret, another son with a secret talent, the mother with a decision to make, a daughter with an unfaithful husband, etc, and it is all blended together with some copious Christmas carols and hymns in the background. With Chris Brown (singing the title song, natch) and Idris Elba, Delroy Lindo, Loretta Devine, Regina King, Lupe Ontiveros and others, all likeable and charming at times. GRADE--------B
STARTING OUT IN THE EVENING 2007--An older writer with a mental block (Frank Langella) befriends a young scholar who wants to write his biography (Lauren Ambrose), while his daughter (Lili Taylor) has her own issues. Set in academia, this is a smart thoughtful character study. Langella is superb. GRADE----------B
THE INVITATION 1952--Father tries to buy a husband (Van Johnson) for his ailing daughter (Dorothy McGuire) but friend (Ruth Roman) tries to block the deal. Not bad, although the title didn't remind me of the plot. GRADE-------B
WHY DIDN'T THEY ASK EVANS? 1985--Made for British TV, this Agatha Christie thriller is mildly interesting and intriguing for a murder mystery. GRADE-------B-
CLUE 1985--This old murder mystery chestnut based on the board game has some fun with the characters, and this version featured all three ending. Martin Mull, Madeline Kahn, Colleen Camp, Micheal McKean, Eileen Brennan and Tim Curry as well as others all seem to be having a very funny time. GRADE---------B-
THE REVOLT OF MAMIE STOVER 1956--Jane Russell is run out of San Francisco (!) in the mid-40s for prostitution (!) and ends up in Honolulu where she works as a "dancer" and falls for writer Richard Eagan, who treats her with respect, while also keeping another respectable woman friend on the side. All this just before the Pearl Harbor attack. Pic looks good in CinemaScope and Technicolor and is not exactly boring. Agnes Moorhead plays the "Madam" of the dance club, and the film is quite watchable, if a bit peculiar. GRADE--------B-
SEA WIFE 1957--Richard Burton and Joan Collins survive a sinking ship during wartime and end up on a raft together with two other men. Burton falls for her and nick names her "sea wife"--not realizing that she is a nun. The big surprise here is that Collins steals the movie from Burton! GRADE-------C+
ARMORED CAR ROBBERY 1950--A nifty film noir outing with a ruthless cop on the trail of heartless thieves. Minor but effective. GRADE-----C+
THE MACKINTOSH MAN 1973---Low key spy thriller with Paul Newman and Dominique Sanda and James Mason, with an unfortunately dull ending. Considering the talent and the director John Huston, this film is easy to watch, but a let down nonetheless. GRADE------C+
HOLIDAY HEART 2000--A good hearted drag queen takes in a drug addicted woman and tries to help raise her daughter. Alfre Woodard has some fine moments as the mother, but the film made me wince at times, and Ving Rhames singing as a drag queen--just not believable!!!!!!
RALLY ROUND THE FLAG BOYS 1958--Based on a popular novel at the time, the first 45 minutes of this film bored the tears out of me, and I kept watching mainly because Joanne Woodward, Paul Newman, Joan Collins, Tuesday Weld and Jack Carson have all been better in other roles. Finally the film started to gain some humor and wit and there were some goofy, funny scenes to be sure, but I hope never to watch this one again. GRADE------------C
SEVEN KEYS TO BALDPATE 1947--This murder mystery has been filmed three times, but I'm not sure it was worth being filmed once. The action is flat and comically odd. Nothing really memorable occurs, and the actors, though pleasant, were unmemorable. GRADE------C
AS YOUNG AS YOU FEEL 1951--Based on a stage play, this "comedy" felt more like a vanity role for Monty Wooley, who is fired from his job at age 65, so he contacts the president of the company that owns his company, and manages to get his job back. Yawn. Even the charm of an early Marilyn Monroe, and David Wayne and Thelma Ritter couldn't breathe much life into this one. GRADE----------C
Saturday, December 31, 2016
Wednesday, November 16, 2016
MOONLIGHT, TOWER, AQUARIUS, THE ARRIVAL, DOCTOR STRANGE, THE HANDMAIDEN, THE MAGNIFICANT SEVEN (2016), DENIAL, TANNA, CLOSET MONSTER plus on DVD-- ALFIE (1967), THE YOUNG AND PRODIGIOUS T.S. SPIVET, GLASS MENAGERIE (1973), MARTY and COME BACK LITTLE SHEBA
In August 1966 a mad man with rifle arrived atop a TOWER at the University of Texas and for 90 minutes terrorized the campus with sniper shots, killing and wounding dozens of people in one of the first mass shootings in this country, and this unusual and insightful film tells that story in an incredible mixture of live photography, rotoscopic animation, interviews and dramatized interactions. The film is fascinating as it shows the courage, hope, teamwork and pain of the dozens of bystanders and victims, as well as dealing with the guilt of many of the survivors. It is a remarkable achievement that fills you with anxiety, wonder, encouragement, and yes, terror. I'd call TOWER a documentary, but it feels so personal and fascinating that it could be a terrific drama. This is one of the year's finest films in any case. GRADE------------------A
This introspective three part film MOONLIGHT about a sensitive black child growing to teen hood and then to adulthood in an impoverished south Florida town as he deals with bullying, toxic masculinity, drugs, sex, love and wanting to fit in, is filmed in a lyrical, poetic fashion, and feels, many weeks after viewing, like some sort of miracle masterpiece---one that we haven't ever seen before in cinema. This film, along with TOWER, AQUARIUS and the forthcoming British film I, DANIEL BLAKE form my four favorite films of the year so far. Each deals with man's inhumanity towards man, but personalizes these themes to become hopeful, humanistic visions of the best society could be. Don't be afraid to see MOONLIGHT because of subject matter, because it will inspire and move you. GRADE---------------A-
Set in Recife, South America, this engrossing character study film AQUARIUS is blessed with a dominatingly subtle lead performance by the great Sonia Braga, who in her late sixties finds herself alone in an ocean side apartment complex--the other tenants have been slowly forced out by the devious actions of the new contractor/developer who want to tear it down for a new, glamorous high rise. The film starts with a long prologue where the lead is engagingly played by a surprisingly effective woman in her twenties (excellent casting!)--we don't meet Braga for nearly 30 minutes, but when we do, we know all we need to know about her history and temperament. The film is a likeable slow burn, but many scenes are very memorable and there are some very surprising developments. But the film belongs to Sonia Braga (DONA FLOR and HER TWO HUSBANDS 1976, KISS OF SPIDER WOMAN 1985, MILAGRO BEANFIELD WAR 1988 etc) and this is her greatest cinematic moment. GRADE---------A-
Aliens have landed on earth, and now we have to figure out how to communicate with them, in the new sci-fi film THE ARRIVAL. Taken from the point of view of the lead linguistic doctor, and played with understated effectiveness by Amy Adams, the engrossing film is one of the better thinking person's science fiction experiences, and a surprise (although not illogical) ending make this film one to see on the big screen. Well directed by Denis Vileneuve (SICARIO 2015 and PRISONERS 2013.) GRADE-----------B+
Compelling and at times a bit bizarre, the new film by Chan Wook Park (STOKER 2013, LADY VENGEANCE 2005, OLD BOY 2003) is an exquisitely filmed story based on the Sarah Waters novel FINGERSMITH, now called THE HANDMAIDEN and set in Japan and Korea. There are a number of twists as a man and woman attempt to defraud a very wealthy lady of her inheritance. This three part film, with some overlapping action in each part, is a heady mixture of horror, sensuality, and criminality, with a mixture of lush settings, beautiful costumes and well acted performances. A droll, satisfying experience for the experienced film goer--others might be shocked. GRADE--------------B+
Thankfully a new Marvel Comic Book character has arrived, and the new film DR. STRANGE is an instant success. Played by Benedict Cumberbatch, this film starts us at the beginning of his story. He's a brilliant but egotistical surgeon (natch!) who is involved in a deadly car crash that mangles his hands. (I mean really, shouldn't he know better than to be messing on his smart phone computer while driving in the pouring rain on a twisty highway while speeding!!!!!!!!) Tilda Swinton plays the master
Ancient One who teaches him how to harness his metaphysical powers (!) and soon he's off fighting the bad guys who want to destroy the world. Cumberbatch is sardonic and compelling, the film doesn't take itself too seriously, and the special effects of a city folding up on itself felt borrowed from INCEPTION, but in a good way. It's not perfect, but I sure enjoyed it more than THE GREEN LANTERN and the nasty DEADPOOL. I'm ready for the next installment, please. GRADE--------B+
Based on a true story about a Holocaust denier who sues a writer for libel when she criticizes his opinion that the Holocaust never happened, DENIAL is engrossing and well cast with Rachael Reisz as the author, Tom Wilkinson as a lawyer and an odd Timothy Spall as a fascist denier. The film works in fits and starts, but I wish the film had been more dramatically effective by the end. GRADE----------B
A lively, creative Canadian film about a questioning young man with a cruel, violent father, CLOSET MONSTER is technically rough around the edges, but engaging enough. Our hero wants to be a special effects make up artist, but he needs to keep his sexuality a secret from dad. When he falls for a co worker his world starts to unravel. His only female friend helps, and he talks to his gerbil for guidance (voiced by Isabella Rossellini). This first time director shows promise. GRADE----B
Filmed in the South Pacific nation of Vanuatu, this exotic version of ROMEO AND JULIET called TANNA, may not have the beautiful Shakespearean language but the film is pleasingly effective and has stunning photography, and the completely amateur cast is very good. GRADE----------B
It's got a fine cast and the new MAGNIFICENT SEVEN looks good, but the action becomes stogy and the film suffers in comparison to the original THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (1960). Certainly watchable if you have enough popcorn, but a disappointment nonetheless. Best cast members are the underplaying of Denzel Washington, the over playing of Vincent D'Onofrio, and the just right likeability of Chris Pratt. The other characters have their moments, but barely register in the long run. GRADE-----B-
Actors Boyd Holbrook and Elizabeth Moss are fine as two characters who are in separate prisons, in THE FREE WORLD. Holbrook has just been released from prison, trying to make a life for himself. He tries to befriend Moss who is trapped in an abusive marriage, and may be a murderer. To me the plot felt too predictably contrived, and it just gets more unbelievable by the end. GRADE--------C+
The following films were viewed on DVD------------------------------------------------
THE YOUNG AND PRODIGIOUS T.S. SPIVET (2013)--Possibly the most awkwardly forgettable title in years, this quirky comedy drama tells of a young genius 10 year old boy who takes a road trip from Montana to the Smithsonian Museum to collect a Baird Prize for inventing a perpetual motion machine. He has a very moody and unusual family, and carries with him a very dark secret. Directed with his usual creative flair by Jean-Pierre Jeunet (AMELIE 2001), this film is a splendid mixture of drama/ comedy/ tragedy and heart. The excellent cast includes Helena Bonham Carter, Judy Davis, Callum Keigh Rennie and young Kyle Catlett . GRADE-------A-
ALFIE (1966)--Excellent comedy/drama was Michael Caine's first leading role, and he runs with it, playing a cad who seduces woman (for pleasure and money) and then moves on, not really engaging in a relationship of any depth. You see his sadness and emptiness, even as he is being cavalier and unemotional. (He constantly speaks directly to the camera.) His "birds" include Vivien Merchant, Millicent Martin, and others, until he meets his match in the sexy, older woman--played with sly aplomb by Shelley Winters. GRADE-----------A-
MARTY (1955)--Based on a stage play about an average Joe--called Marty, who is looking for love but he knows he is short and fat and ugly. One night he accidentally meets a simple plain woman who is also looking for love and they click. The supporting characters are marvelous including his mother, brother and sister in law, and his slacker friends. It's a touching story, well acted, and Ernest Borgnine won the best actor Oscar for it. GRADE--------B+
COME BACK LITTLE SHEBA (1952)--Also based on a stage play, this is an Oscar winning vehicle for the best actress Oscar which went to Shirley Booth, who plays the annoyingly positive, patience, over weight wife to alcoholic husband Burt Lancaster. The film also featured a large supporting role for Richard Jaeckel who plays a cocky high school athlete, even though he'd been in several films since 1942--his youthful face had him playing teens for nearly 20 years beyond his teen years. GRADE---------B+
THE GLASS MENAGERIE (1973)--This made for TV film has an interesting take on the mother character, played by the always fascinating Katherine Hepburn, and Sam Waterston, Michael Moriarty and Joanna Miles are all in top form in this Tennessee Williams play about a controlling mother trying to find love for her handicapped daughter and career success for her poet writing son. Moriarty is especially effective as the "gentleman caller" who manages to lift Miles out of her shyness, if only for an hour. The dramatic set up is simple, but the writing so magnificent that I remembered lines from this play that I hadn't seen or read for over 40 years. GRADE--------B+
LETTER FROM AN UNKNOWN WOMAN (1948)--Here's an unabashedly romantic story of lost and unrequited love, told mostly in flashback. Joan Fontaine is effective as a teen girl who lives next to a concert pianist Louis Jordan. She follows his career, and eventually has a brief tryst with him, although he does not know her name. When they must separate due to a long concert tour, he does not return to her so she marries another man because she is pregnant. Tears, anguish, forgotten love, faithfulness,---this film has it all. GRADE-----------B
BLACK WORK (2015)--This compelling British made for TV movie tells of a police woman who tries to find out who killed her deep under cover detective husband because she's getting no help from the station she works for. There were times when the coincidences piled up, but the film moves right along and offers some shocking surprises along the way. GRADE-------B
ARABESQUE (1966)--Gregory Peck plays an hieroglyphics expert recruited to decode a message that puts him in the mix of international intrigue and danger, in the silly chase film that tries hard to capture the thrills and laughter of director Stanley Donen and writer Peter Stone's earlier superior film CHARADE, which I truly love. The only thing that really captured my attention in this lame adventure was the beautiful Sophia Loren, who brightened every scene for me, in spite of a few laughs and modest thrills. GRADE--------C+
SUFFRAGETTE (2015)--Based on real events, this dour, grim film tells the story of a married mother who gives up her family life for the struggle for women to vote in the early part of the 20th century in London. Carey Mulligan is very serious as the lead, and Helena Bonham Carter adds some quirkiness to her character. Meryl Streep appears very briefly but effectively as the Mother of the movement. The ending surprised me--spoiler alert!!!--it might have made more sense to base the film from the point of view of the tragic suffragette than the Mulligan character. GRADE------C+
MURDER BY DEATH (1976)--The gags and jokes are hit and miss in this comedy thriller that spoofs a number of sleuths as they try to figure out the murders arranged by their eccentric host played by Truman Capote. Peter Falk, Elsa Lancaster, David Niven, Maggie Smith, Eileen Brennan, Peter Sellars, Alec Guiness and others each have their moments, but the script by Neil Simon is full of racist, sexist, homophobic jokes that are mostly very unfunny, and the funny ones make you groan or feel guilty for enjoying them. The finale is particularly lame. There is some cleverness to the idea of the spoof, so it's all the more sad that so much of it doesn't work. GRADE------C
This introspective three part film MOONLIGHT about a sensitive black child growing to teen hood and then to adulthood in an impoverished south Florida town as he deals with bullying, toxic masculinity, drugs, sex, love and wanting to fit in, is filmed in a lyrical, poetic fashion, and feels, many weeks after viewing, like some sort of miracle masterpiece---one that we haven't ever seen before in cinema. This film, along with TOWER, AQUARIUS and the forthcoming British film I, DANIEL BLAKE form my four favorite films of the year so far. Each deals with man's inhumanity towards man, but personalizes these themes to become hopeful, humanistic visions of the best society could be. Don't be afraid to see MOONLIGHT because of subject matter, because it will inspire and move you. GRADE---------------A-
Set in Recife, South America, this engrossing character study film AQUARIUS is blessed with a dominatingly subtle lead performance by the great Sonia Braga, who in her late sixties finds herself alone in an ocean side apartment complex--the other tenants have been slowly forced out by the devious actions of the new contractor/developer who want to tear it down for a new, glamorous high rise. The film starts with a long prologue where the lead is engagingly played by a surprisingly effective woman in her twenties (excellent casting!)--we don't meet Braga for nearly 30 minutes, but when we do, we know all we need to know about her history and temperament. The film is a likeable slow burn, but many scenes are very memorable and there are some very surprising developments. But the film belongs to Sonia Braga (DONA FLOR and HER TWO HUSBANDS 1976, KISS OF SPIDER WOMAN 1985, MILAGRO BEANFIELD WAR 1988 etc) and this is her greatest cinematic moment. GRADE---------A-
Aliens have landed on earth, and now we have to figure out how to communicate with them, in the new sci-fi film THE ARRIVAL. Taken from the point of view of the lead linguistic doctor, and played with understated effectiveness by Amy Adams, the engrossing film is one of the better thinking person's science fiction experiences, and a surprise (although not illogical) ending make this film one to see on the big screen. Well directed by Denis Vileneuve (SICARIO 2015 and PRISONERS 2013.) GRADE-----------B+
Compelling and at times a bit bizarre, the new film by Chan Wook Park (STOKER 2013, LADY VENGEANCE 2005, OLD BOY 2003) is an exquisitely filmed story based on the Sarah Waters novel FINGERSMITH, now called THE HANDMAIDEN and set in Japan and Korea. There are a number of twists as a man and woman attempt to defraud a very wealthy lady of her inheritance. This three part film, with some overlapping action in each part, is a heady mixture of horror, sensuality, and criminality, with a mixture of lush settings, beautiful costumes and well acted performances. A droll, satisfying experience for the experienced film goer--others might be shocked. GRADE--------------B+
Thankfully a new Marvel Comic Book character has arrived, and the new film DR. STRANGE is an instant success. Played by Benedict Cumberbatch, this film starts us at the beginning of his story. He's a brilliant but egotistical surgeon (natch!) who is involved in a deadly car crash that mangles his hands. (I mean really, shouldn't he know better than to be messing on his smart phone computer while driving in the pouring rain on a twisty highway while speeding!!!!!!!!) Tilda Swinton plays the master
Ancient One who teaches him how to harness his metaphysical powers (!) and soon he's off fighting the bad guys who want to destroy the world. Cumberbatch is sardonic and compelling, the film doesn't take itself too seriously, and the special effects of a city folding up on itself felt borrowed from INCEPTION, but in a good way. It's not perfect, but I sure enjoyed it more than THE GREEN LANTERN and the nasty DEADPOOL. I'm ready for the next installment, please. GRADE--------B+
Based on a true story about a Holocaust denier who sues a writer for libel when she criticizes his opinion that the Holocaust never happened, DENIAL is engrossing and well cast with Rachael Reisz as the author, Tom Wilkinson as a lawyer and an odd Timothy Spall as a fascist denier. The film works in fits and starts, but I wish the film had been more dramatically effective by the end. GRADE----------B
A lively, creative Canadian film about a questioning young man with a cruel, violent father, CLOSET MONSTER is technically rough around the edges, but engaging enough. Our hero wants to be a special effects make up artist, but he needs to keep his sexuality a secret from dad. When he falls for a co worker his world starts to unravel. His only female friend helps, and he talks to his gerbil for guidance (voiced by Isabella Rossellini). This first time director shows promise. GRADE----B
Filmed in the South Pacific nation of Vanuatu, this exotic version of ROMEO AND JULIET called TANNA, may not have the beautiful Shakespearean language but the film is pleasingly effective and has stunning photography, and the completely amateur cast is very good. GRADE----------B
It's got a fine cast and the new MAGNIFICENT SEVEN looks good, but the action becomes stogy and the film suffers in comparison to the original THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (1960). Certainly watchable if you have enough popcorn, but a disappointment nonetheless. Best cast members are the underplaying of Denzel Washington, the over playing of Vincent D'Onofrio, and the just right likeability of Chris Pratt. The other characters have their moments, but barely register in the long run. GRADE-----B-
Actors Boyd Holbrook and Elizabeth Moss are fine as two characters who are in separate prisons, in THE FREE WORLD. Holbrook has just been released from prison, trying to make a life for himself. He tries to befriend Moss who is trapped in an abusive marriage, and may be a murderer. To me the plot felt too predictably contrived, and it just gets more unbelievable by the end. GRADE--------C+
The following films were viewed on DVD------------------------------------------------
THE YOUNG AND PRODIGIOUS T.S. SPIVET (2013)--Possibly the most awkwardly forgettable title in years, this quirky comedy drama tells of a young genius 10 year old boy who takes a road trip from Montana to the Smithsonian Museum to collect a Baird Prize for inventing a perpetual motion machine. He has a very moody and unusual family, and carries with him a very dark secret. Directed with his usual creative flair by Jean-Pierre Jeunet (AMELIE 2001), this film is a splendid mixture of drama/ comedy/ tragedy and heart. The excellent cast includes Helena Bonham Carter, Judy Davis, Callum Keigh Rennie and young Kyle Catlett . GRADE-------A-
ALFIE (1966)--Excellent comedy/drama was Michael Caine's first leading role, and he runs with it, playing a cad who seduces woman (for pleasure and money) and then moves on, not really engaging in a relationship of any depth. You see his sadness and emptiness, even as he is being cavalier and unemotional. (He constantly speaks directly to the camera.) His "birds" include Vivien Merchant, Millicent Martin, and others, until he meets his match in the sexy, older woman--played with sly aplomb by Shelley Winters. GRADE-----------A-
MARTY (1955)--Based on a stage play about an average Joe--called Marty, who is looking for love but he knows he is short and fat and ugly. One night he accidentally meets a simple plain woman who is also looking for love and they click. The supporting characters are marvelous including his mother, brother and sister in law, and his slacker friends. It's a touching story, well acted, and Ernest Borgnine won the best actor Oscar for it. GRADE--------B+
COME BACK LITTLE SHEBA (1952)--Also based on a stage play, this is an Oscar winning vehicle for the best actress Oscar which went to Shirley Booth, who plays the annoyingly positive, patience, over weight wife to alcoholic husband Burt Lancaster. The film also featured a large supporting role for Richard Jaeckel who plays a cocky high school athlete, even though he'd been in several films since 1942--his youthful face had him playing teens for nearly 20 years beyond his teen years. GRADE---------B+
THE GLASS MENAGERIE (1973)--This made for TV film has an interesting take on the mother character, played by the always fascinating Katherine Hepburn, and Sam Waterston, Michael Moriarty and Joanna Miles are all in top form in this Tennessee Williams play about a controlling mother trying to find love for her handicapped daughter and career success for her poet writing son. Moriarty is especially effective as the "gentleman caller" who manages to lift Miles out of her shyness, if only for an hour. The dramatic set up is simple, but the writing so magnificent that I remembered lines from this play that I hadn't seen or read for over 40 years. GRADE--------B+
LETTER FROM AN UNKNOWN WOMAN (1948)--Here's an unabashedly romantic story of lost and unrequited love, told mostly in flashback. Joan Fontaine is effective as a teen girl who lives next to a concert pianist Louis Jordan. She follows his career, and eventually has a brief tryst with him, although he does not know her name. When they must separate due to a long concert tour, he does not return to her so she marries another man because she is pregnant. Tears, anguish, forgotten love, faithfulness,---this film has it all. GRADE-----------B
BLACK WORK (2015)--This compelling British made for TV movie tells of a police woman who tries to find out who killed her deep under cover detective husband because she's getting no help from the station she works for. There were times when the coincidences piled up, but the film moves right along and offers some shocking surprises along the way. GRADE-------B
ARABESQUE (1966)--Gregory Peck plays an hieroglyphics expert recruited to decode a message that puts him in the mix of international intrigue and danger, in the silly chase film that tries hard to capture the thrills and laughter of director Stanley Donen and writer Peter Stone's earlier superior film CHARADE, which I truly love. The only thing that really captured my attention in this lame adventure was the beautiful Sophia Loren, who brightened every scene for me, in spite of a few laughs and modest thrills. GRADE--------C+
SUFFRAGETTE (2015)--Based on real events, this dour, grim film tells the story of a married mother who gives up her family life for the struggle for women to vote in the early part of the 20th century in London. Carey Mulligan is very serious as the lead, and Helena Bonham Carter adds some quirkiness to her character. Meryl Streep appears very briefly but effectively as the Mother of the movement. The ending surprised me--spoiler alert!!!--it might have made more sense to base the film from the point of view of the tragic suffragette than the Mulligan character. GRADE------C+
MURDER BY DEATH (1976)--The gags and jokes are hit and miss in this comedy thriller that spoofs a number of sleuths as they try to figure out the murders arranged by their eccentric host played by Truman Capote. Peter Falk, Elsa Lancaster, David Niven, Maggie Smith, Eileen Brennan, Peter Sellars, Alec Guiness and others each have their moments, but the script by Neil Simon is full of racist, sexist, homophobic jokes that are mostly very unfunny, and the funny ones make you groan or feel guilty for enjoying them. The finale is particularly lame. There is some cleverness to the idea of the spoof, so it's all the more sad that so much of it doesn't work. GRADE------C
Thursday, October 20, 2016
CAPTAIN FANTASTIC, GIRL ON A TRAIN, UNDER THE SHADOW, KEY LARGO, MALTESE FALCON, DESIGNING WOMEN.....
Winner of best picture at this year's SIFF among the Fool Serious Pass Holders is a soulful, emotional film that was shot in the Pacific Northwest, called CAPTAIN FANTASTIC, and featuring a passionate, subtle performance by Viggo Mortensen, who won the SIFF best actor award this year. He plays a counter culture father who has moved his family into the forests of Washington state, and lives completely off the grid, living self sufficiently, trading for goods from crafts his family makes, and killing their own meat, and growing their own vegetables and fruits. When his depressed wife commits suicide while under hospital care, he and his five children venture into society to attend the funeral of their mother, much to the anger of their grandfather, who blames Mortensen for her death. There's a lot of humor, tension, and engaging encounters with society, and the film entertainingly captures the dilemma that the family faces. My only complaint: the director seems to want to use extreme closeups way too often, and also many scenes have an obnoxious hand held jerkiness to them. But this film is an excellent mix of humor, emotion, philosophical sophistication, political discourse, and family relationships. There hasn't been a film this astute (and subversive) since ALICE'S RESTAURANT (Arthur Penn) back in 1969 and Milos Forman's film version of HAIR in 1979. This is one of my FAVORITE films of the year. GRADE---------A-
Based on a world wide best seller (I swear I see at least one woman a day reading this book in public) the new thriller GIRL ON A TRAIN is a slickly engaging murder mystery thriller with solid production values and effective acting. There are some similarities to the last block buster best seller made into a film GONE GIRL two years ago, but TRAIN is more palatable, and certainly less cynical and brutal. There were some coincidences that I felt were a bit much---like how the three main woman characters all share the same psychiatrist.....and he seems to be rather intimately cozy with them all. Also the main male is or has been on intimate terms with all the women at some point or another. (Sorry if I spoil anything....). And it is a bit much that the main character just happens to witness such significant moments from the window of her passing train---I'm lucky to see a jogger or a cyclist when I'm on a train. Still, GIRL ON A TRAIN is entertaining Hollywood pablum that keeps you intrigued to the end, even if you figure it out at the two thirds point. GRADE----------B+
A U.K, Qatar, Jordan co production, UNDER THE SHADOW is set during the Iran-Iraq war, and ramps up the tension by having a mother and daughter under great stress as their city is under siege from flying rocket bombs and their many neighbors are fleeing the apartment building for safer rural areas away from the fighting. With the doctor husband away at the war zone, the wife, who was training to be a doctor herself when a change in regime forced her into a more traditional role, becomes immersed in a local witch craft tale that has evil spirits threatening her child---or is it merely symbolic of the war violence? If you saw the Australian film from a couple years ago called THE BABADOOK, you know that the manifestation of evil can provide many shivering chills and UNDER THE SHADOW connects on many levels of satisfaction for the viewer. GRADE-------B
---------------------------------------
From October 2nd through October 7th I attended the Vancouver International Film Festival. When these films open around the country (like UNDER THE SHADOW above) then I will write about them, but in the meantime, here is a brief listing and rating for some of the better films to watch for:
I, DANIEL BLAKE---a masterpiece of humanist drama by British director Ken Loach--his best. GRADE----A
AQUARIUS--Brazilian film featuring the great Sonia Braga in vivid character study of woman fighting local corruption in housing market. GRADE----A-
JULIETA--the new Spanish film by Pedro Almodovar--another slick melodrama of love and passion, mostly told in a long, emotional flashback. GRADE---B+
PERSONAL SHOPPER--French film by director Oliver Assayas (his best so far) with fascinating performance by Kristen Stewart--a compelling mixture of glamour, psychic suspense, murder mystery and grief. GRADE----B+
MANCHESTER BY THE SEA--Director Kenneth Lonergan's observant, moving drama told with many flashbacks, of the tragic events that keep a man from moving on with his life. GRADE--B+
A QUIET PASSION--Terence Davies film about the life of American poet Emily Dickinson (portrayed gamely by Cynthia Nixon) is belabored and excruciatingly painful to behold. GRADE--D
Other decent films include: MALIGUTIT (SEARCHER)--the new film set in the Arctic by the director of THE FAST RUNNER, THE ORNITHOLOGIST--a kinky Portuguese film by the director of O PHANTASMA, LIFE AFTER LIFE--an allegorical drama from China, and OLD STONE--a Chinese/Canadian production with film noir ambitions.
____________________________________________
The following films were viewed on DVD-------
THE MALTESE FALCON--1941--A convoluted mystery by writer Dashiell Hammett and director John Huston doesn't mar the enjoyment of this Humphrey Bogart classic which features memorable turns by a fey Peter Lorre, a sly Mary Astor, and a droll Sydney Greenstreet. Not nearly as difficult to follow as THE BIG SLEEP. GRADE---- A-
KEY LARGO --1948--Based on a stage play, this atmospheric drama directed by John Huston features a number of hotel workers and guests held captive during a long, intense night by a notorious gangster trying to make a comeback in the United States, all this during a hurricane! Edward G. Robinson is very effective as the cruel Rocco, and Claire Trevor deservedly won a best supporting Oscar as his alcoholic girlfriend. Bogart and Bacall are effective as a stranger who stumbles into the situation and he falls for hotel worker Bacall, who is unusually (and effectively) low key. GRADE----------A-
O. HENRY'S FULL HOUSE--1952--Five very effective O. Henry stories are filmed by different actors ( including Fred Allen, Anne Baxter, Farley Granger, Charles Laughton, Marilyn Monroe, Dale Robertson, Richard Widmark and others) and directors (including Henry Hathaway, Howard Hawks, Henry King and Jean Negulesco. The stories are all funny, touching, dramatic and surprising. The most famous story is last: THE GIFT OF THE MAGI. GRADE--------B+
DESIGNING WOMEN--1957--Colorful comedy has sports writer Gregory Peck meeting and mating and marrying within a few weeks glamorous clothing designer Lauren Bacall. The silly plot has him trying to deny that he ever knew, much less dated a beautiful actress, hired to work with Bacall. The humor did grow on me, and there are a number of wonderfully silly slapstick moments. GRADE----B-
BUONA SERA, MRS CAMPBELL--1968--I just finished reading both Shelley Winters biographies published in the 1980's, and they are both funny and entertaining--among the best I've ever read. I read them 30 years ago, and they still hold up today as evocative and interesting visions of a Hollywood actress and the lifestyles of the glamorous from the mid century. Plus, Winters is a funny, sarcastic, blunt writer, so I've been curious to see some more of her many films. This film is not great, but it has a sparkling comedic cast including along with Winters, Gina Lollobrigida, Phil Silvers, Peter Lawford, Telly Savalas, Lee Grant, and others, and it has a charming, sexy style. GRADE-----------B-
PETE'S DRAGON--1977--This musical/part animated Disney film featured a gung ho supporting performance by Shelley Winters--she plays a hill-billy type of matriarch who sings and dances and is villainously trying to kidnap Pete back to her side. Singer Helen Reddy is the lead who gets to sing the main hit song Candle on the Water which I actually remembered, and the lively cast includes Red Buttons, Jim Dale, Jim Backus and Mickey Rooney. It's not a great plot, and tiresome at times. GRADE---- C
THE 5TH WAVE--2016--Based on a young adult novel, this dull, cliched science fiction film about the world being taken over by aliens was so boring that I turned it off after one hour. GRADE---D
Based on a world wide best seller (I swear I see at least one woman a day reading this book in public) the new thriller GIRL ON A TRAIN is a slickly engaging murder mystery thriller with solid production values and effective acting. There are some similarities to the last block buster best seller made into a film GONE GIRL two years ago, but TRAIN is more palatable, and certainly less cynical and brutal. There were some coincidences that I felt were a bit much---like how the three main woman characters all share the same psychiatrist.....and he seems to be rather intimately cozy with them all. Also the main male is or has been on intimate terms with all the women at some point or another. (Sorry if I spoil anything....). And it is a bit much that the main character just happens to witness such significant moments from the window of her passing train---I'm lucky to see a jogger or a cyclist when I'm on a train. Still, GIRL ON A TRAIN is entertaining Hollywood pablum that keeps you intrigued to the end, even if you figure it out at the two thirds point. GRADE----------B+
A U.K, Qatar, Jordan co production, UNDER THE SHADOW is set during the Iran-Iraq war, and ramps up the tension by having a mother and daughter under great stress as their city is under siege from flying rocket bombs and their many neighbors are fleeing the apartment building for safer rural areas away from the fighting. With the doctor husband away at the war zone, the wife, who was training to be a doctor herself when a change in regime forced her into a more traditional role, becomes immersed in a local witch craft tale that has evil spirits threatening her child---or is it merely symbolic of the war violence? If you saw the Australian film from a couple years ago called THE BABADOOK, you know that the manifestation of evil can provide many shivering chills and UNDER THE SHADOW connects on many levels of satisfaction for the viewer. GRADE-------B
---------------------------------------
From October 2nd through October 7th I attended the Vancouver International Film Festival. When these films open around the country (like UNDER THE SHADOW above) then I will write about them, but in the meantime, here is a brief listing and rating for some of the better films to watch for:
I, DANIEL BLAKE---a masterpiece of humanist drama by British director Ken Loach--his best. GRADE----A
AQUARIUS--Brazilian film featuring the great Sonia Braga in vivid character study of woman fighting local corruption in housing market. GRADE----A-
JULIETA--the new Spanish film by Pedro Almodovar--another slick melodrama of love and passion, mostly told in a long, emotional flashback. GRADE---B+
PERSONAL SHOPPER--French film by director Oliver Assayas (his best so far) with fascinating performance by Kristen Stewart--a compelling mixture of glamour, psychic suspense, murder mystery and grief. GRADE----B+
MANCHESTER BY THE SEA--Director Kenneth Lonergan's observant, moving drama told with many flashbacks, of the tragic events that keep a man from moving on with his life. GRADE--B+
A QUIET PASSION--Terence Davies film about the life of American poet Emily Dickinson (portrayed gamely by Cynthia Nixon) is belabored and excruciatingly painful to behold. GRADE--D
Other decent films include: MALIGUTIT (SEARCHER)--the new film set in the Arctic by the director of THE FAST RUNNER, THE ORNITHOLOGIST--a kinky Portuguese film by the director of O PHANTASMA, LIFE AFTER LIFE--an allegorical drama from China, and OLD STONE--a Chinese/Canadian production with film noir ambitions.
____________________________________________
The following films were viewed on DVD-------
THE MALTESE FALCON--1941--A convoluted mystery by writer Dashiell Hammett and director John Huston doesn't mar the enjoyment of this Humphrey Bogart classic which features memorable turns by a fey Peter Lorre, a sly Mary Astor, and a droll Sydney Greenstreet. Not nearly as difficult to follow as THE BIG SLEEP. GRADE---- A-
KEY LARGO --1948--Based on a stage play, this atmospheric drama directed by John Huston features a number of hotel workers and guests held captive during a long, intense night by a notorious gangster trying to make a comeback in the United States, all this during a hurricane! Edward G. Robinson is very effective as the cruel Rocco, and Claire Trevor deservedly won a best supporting Oscar as his alcoholic girlfriend. Bogart and Bacall are effective as a stranger who stumbles into the situation and he falls for hotel worker Bacall, who is unusually (and effectively) low key. GRADE----------A-
O. HENRY'S FULL HOUSE--1952--Five very effective O. Henry stories are filmed by different actors ( including Fred Allen, Anne Baxter, Farley Granger, Charles Laughton, Marilyn Monroe, Dale Robertson, Richard Widmark and others) and directors (including Henry Hathaway, Howard Hawks, Henry King and Jean Negulesco. The stories are all funny, touching, dramatic and surprising. The most famous story is last: THE GIFT OF THE MAGI. GRADE--------B+
DESIGNING WOMEN--1957--Colorful comedy has sports writer Gregory Peck meeting and mating and marrying within a few weeks glamorous clothing designer Lauren Bacall. The silly plot has him trying to deny that he ever knew, much less dated a beautiful actress, hired to work with Bacall. The humor did grow on me, and there are a number of wonderfully silly slapstick moments. GRADE----B-
BUONA SERA, MRS CAMPBELL--1968--I just finished reading both Shelley Winters biographies published in the 1980's, and they are both funny and entertaining--among the best I've ever read. I read them 30 years ago, and they still hold up today as evocative and interesting visions of a Hollywood actress and the lifestyles of the glamorous from the mid century. Plus, Winters is a funny, sarcastic, blunt writer, so I've been curious to see some more of her many films. This film is not great, but it has a sparkling comedic cast including along with Winters, Gina Lollobrigida, Phil Silvers, Peter Lawford, Telly Savalas, Lee Grant, and others, and it has a charming, sexy style. GRADE-----------B-
PETE'S DRAGON--1977--This musical/part animated Disney film featured a gung ho supporting performance by Shelley Winters--she plays a hill-billy type of matriarch who sings and dances and is villainously trying to kidnap Pete back to her side. Singer Helen Reddy is the lead who gets to sing the main hit song Candle on the Water which I actually remembered, and the lively cast includes Red Buttons, Jim Dale, Jim Backus and Mickey Rooney. It's not a great plot, and tiresome at times. GRADE---- C
THE 5TH WAVE--2016--Based on a young adult novel, this dull, cliched science fiction film about the world being taken over by aliens was so boring that I turned it off after one hour. GRADE---D
Saturday, October 1, 2016
A MAN CALLED OVE, PEOPLE VS FRITZ BAUER, BAD MOMS, SULLY, MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN, COME WHAT MAY, LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS, OTHER PEOPLE, COMPLETE UNKNOWN, ZOOM, plus Billy Wilder's masterwork SOME LIKE IT HOT plus Bogart and Bacall classics BIG SLEEP, TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT, DARK PASSAGE
From SIFF earlier this year comes the Swedish film, based on a popular novel, A MAN CALLED OVE. He's depressed after the recent death of his wife, and spends a number of scenes trying unsuccessfully to commit suicide, being constantly distracted. The film reminded me of HAROLD AND MAUDE at times, but perhaps lighter and funnier, as it flashes back in time to revel much of Ove's history, using two different actors to portray Ove at different times of his life. Rolf Lassgard plays the older cranky man, who won best actor at this year's SIFF, and Filip Berg plays his younger, handsome self, and Viktor Baagoe plays Ove as a child. He meets some new neighbors who manage to pull him out of his depression temporarily, and give the film some moving moments, but the film avoids becoming too sentimental. It's a lovely character study, full of humor, sadness and irony.
GRADE-----------B+
Based on a true story, this thriller, THE PEOPLE VS FRITZ BAUER which premiered at SIFF in May, tells the story of German Fritz Bauer who hunts down Nazi Adolf Eichmann with the help of the Israeli secret service Mossad, but by doing so may cause him to be committing treason. Actor Burghart Klaussner is so effective as Bauer that I thought he would have a heart attach while portraying this hard driving, smoking, drinking, man with his own secrets. He is riveting, as is the entire supporting cast. GRADE--------B+
Actor Tom Hanks and director Clint Eastwood combine to give us a smooth, engrossing version of the "miracle on the Hudson," the true story of the pilot who landed a disabled plane on the Hudson river without a single loss of life. SULLY may not be a masterpiece, but it compels your attention by careful reconstruction of the before and after moments of what could have been a major tragedy in a quick and matter of fact approach that can only occur with all quality work by all film makers involved. GRADE----------B
Most comedies of late have resorted to becoming as gross and vulgar as possible when it comes to (getting sexual) laughs, and the new film BAD MOMS is no exception. Fortunately, this film also has a very clever and witty script that balances out the outrageous gags with some very profound, witty plotting, and mix with that an all out frontal comic assault by Kathryn Huhn as the more outrageous of the moms, and you have a film that despite some crude sexual humor, is actually quite amusing much of the time. Mila Kunis is a mom at the end of her rope--over worked, under appreciated, and her husband has just been kick out of the house. She feels that she cannot become the perfect mom expected of her (kid's extra curricular activities, lunches, PTA meetings, homework, plus housekeeping, full time work, etc.) and she shares her frustration with Kristen Bell and Huhn, and they all agree to step back from being so overwhelmed, but they butt heads with the domineering head of the PTA (an amusing Christina Applegate) who knows how to get what she wants. There are a few predictable moments, but mostly I laughed throughout much of the film, and have to give it high marks for that reason. GRADE----------B
Based on a popular novel, and directed with his usual flair for weirdness by Tim Burton, MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN is a visually fascinating telling of a young teen who loses his grandfather to a mysterious death, only to discover that he has special powers, and must find this "home" despite the misgivings of his parents. I have not read the novel, but I found the plot to be fascinating as it unfolds, and discovering the "talents" of each child was a surprise to me. By the last third, the action takes over the buildup, and the special effects take over. Still, a unique and engrossing film for those who have not read the novel. GRADE------B
A beautifully photographed film (mostly in New Zealand) enhances the story of THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS as it tells of a childless light house keeper and his wife on a lonely island who
find a baby in a rowboat, and adopt the child as their own, without reporting this to the nearby village. Several years go by, but one day they realize that the child belongs to a rich woman in the village who had lost her husband and child in a storm on the ocean. The film is a love story and a tragedy, and the two actors involved (recent Oscar winner Alicia Vikander and Michael Fassbinder) are extremely effective and affecting (as is the child's biological mother played by Rachael Weisz).
It is easy to see how Vikander and Fassbinder ended up becoming a real life couple during the filming of this story. In spite of my best efforts otherwise, copious tears were flowing from my eyes by the end of this film................. GRADE-------------B
Also premiering at SIFF last May with solid visuals and technically superior in all categories, this French film COME WHAT MAY tells of a small village forced to flee due to advancing Nazi troops. The film balances several story lines, including a father who is imprisoned and must leave his young son behind with strangers. While the set up may be familiar, the film satisfies on many levels, especially what may become one of his last beautifully memorable musical scores by the aging Ennio Morricone. GRADE--------B
From SIFF comes a modest but successful comedy drama of a struggling young gay man who returns to his small town from New York City to help care for his mother (played subtly by comedian Molly Shannon) who is dying of cancer. The title is generic--OTHER PEOPLE--but the film creates some affecting characters and is quite moving at times, and very funny at other times. GRADE------------B-
This SIFF film, COMPLETE UNKNOWN, left me frustrated and bored--it's an intriguing idea that seems to go nowhere. Married man Michael Shannon attends a dinner party where a friend shows up with a woman he seems to recognize, but she denies knowing him. He follows her home and eventually gets her to confess that she is his ex-girl friend, played by Rachael Weisz. There is a lot of talking, and an interesting couple played by Kathy Bates and Danny Glover pop up-- they have just one scene---I'm not sure why, as they could easily be cut from the film. The film ends in an uninteresting, unresolved manner, and I was very impatient with it. GRADE---------D+
From SIFF, this boring juvenile film called ZOOM mixes live action with animation. In fact, top billing is Gael Garcia Bernal who only appears as an animated character suffering from a shrinking penis (no kidding). Smart move to not appear physically, Bernal. The other top billing is Allison Pill who works in a sex doll factory, and is determined to have a gigantic breast implant (which she does!) because she feels inferior to all the sex dolls she makes with her sexist boy friend (no kidding). Other ho hum subplots involve a doll stuffed with heroin and mailed across the border to Canada which must be retrieved. Ugh. Maybe 13 year old boys might find this film amusing, but most of it is smarmy. GRADE-----------D
==========VIEWED on DVD/TV ===================================
SOME LIKE IF HOT (1959)----Certainly one of the best films Billy Wilder ever directed, the best sexiest performance by Marilyn Monroe, the cleverest performance by Tony Curtis, the funniest acting by Jack Lemmon, and the funniest, wittiest comedy every made, this film is a pleasure to watch again and again. "Well.......Nobody's perfect!"--the final line of a perfect comedy. GRADE------A
THE BIG SLEEP(1946)----I've seen this film at least half a dozen times, and each time I swear I'm going to figure out the mystery part, but at the hour mark I give up and just let it happen, as it becomes incredibly convoluted towards the end, and there are actually some plot devices (including a murder) that are never explained. Mostly I enjoy the smart, witty dialogue that engulfs every scene. Here are three of my favorites lines:
Number 1--
Vivian: I don't like your manners.
Marlowe: And I'm not crazy about yours. I didn't ask to see you. I don't mind if you don't like my manners, I don't like them myself. They are pretty bad. I grieve over them on long winter evenings.
Number 2--
Marlowe: She tried to sit on my lap while I was standing up.
Number 3--
Marlowe: My my my---such a lot of guns around town and so few brains. You know you're the second guy I've met today that seems to think a gat in the hand means the world by the tail.
GRADE-------A-
TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT (1944)--This was the first pairing of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, where they fall in love on screen and in real life too. I never seem to remember the plot, something about a boat and moving around freedom fighters, but within 10 minutes I realize that Bogart and Bacall have a very steamy chemistry, and that this is the film that includes the famous line from Bacall---"You know how to whistle, don't you Steve? You just put your lips together and blow."
Their chemistry is at it's strongest here, I think. GRADE-----------------B
DARK PASSAGE (1947) This is my first viewing of this odd film. Bogart has just escaped from prison for killing his wife, for which he is innocent. You don't see his face for nearly half the film as he is getting a different face so he won't be caught while he tries to find out who the real killer is. Bacall plays sort of a stalker--a woman who likes him and tries to help him. The plot is weird, with a lot of coincidences with the characters. Bruce Bennett and Agnes Moorehead give nice performances, but I just kept shaking my head at the plot but I wasn't bored........... GRADE---------B
THE WIDOWER (2015)--A PBS mini series in three hours, but I watched it as a single film. This tells the true story of a male nurse who tries to murder all three women he marries to get their insurance. Nothing great stylistically, but the actors are good, especially the lead Reece Shearsmith, and the story is rather fantastic and engrossing. GRADE------B
THE IMMIGRANT (2014)---Two young sisters immigrate to New York in 1921, but one must remain in a hospital due to a lung infection. The other gets involved with a slick nightclub owner who forces her into prostitution. She tries to leave with the help of the nightclub owner's brother, who loves her. The story is rather melodramatic but the film is redeemed by a luminous performance by Marion Cotillard (an Oscar nominee for this film). GRADE-------B-
MISSING PERSON (2009)--This low budget film noir features Michael Shannon who goes in search of a man missing since 9/11 and is being sought by his wife. It's a curious story (the husband is involved, unknowingly to himself) with the abduction of kids into the drug trade, and he doesn't want to go back to his marriage. The film isn't bad, just leisurely and without much energy. GRADE-----------C+
MOMMY (2015)---French bad boy director Xavier Nolan has made some very interesting films, including one of my favorites from 2013 called TOM AT THE FARM and ELEPHANT SONG (2015). This film is is one of his more recent films, about a single mom with a very difficult ADHD son who is loud, vulgar, violent, and very unpleasant . The actors are game, and a neighbor who is a teacher tries to inject some calm and discipline into their life style. Unfortunately, there is a little too much hand held camera work for my taste, and the teenager, while effective, is so unlikeable for much of the film that it becomes difficult to watch. GRADE-------C+
Private screening of
FINAL CUT (2015?) This documentary/fictional film is a hybrid--a film made up of thousands of film clips from hundreds of different films, edited together to tell a cliched story of boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back again after a misunderstanding. I saw this film two years ago, but this time I loved it even more. It is so much fun seeing dozens of actors playing the same role, and the film is a witty love story to epic films. I think the title might be LADIES AND GENTLEMAN FINAL CUT. It was made in eastern Europe, and has never been released commercially. I think the film is made for education purposes only and the name of the director is Gyorgy Palfi. It doesn't show up in IMBd or Rotten Tomatoes and has only been shown by SIFF a few times. If you get a chance to see it, do so. GRADE-----------B
GRADE-----------B+
Based on a true story, this thriller, THE PEOPLE VS FRITZ BAUER which premiered at SIFF in May, tells the story of German Fritz Bauer who hunts down Nazi Adolf Eichmann with the help of the Israeli secret service Mossad, but by doing so may cause him to be committing treason. Actor Burghart Klaussner is so effective as Bauer that I thought he would have a heart attach while portraying this hard driving, smoking, drinking, man with his own secrets. He is riveting, as is the entire supporting cast. GRADE--------B+
Actor Tom Hanks and director Clint Eastwood combine to give us a smooth, engrossing version of the "miracle on the Hudson," the true story of the pilot who landed a disabled plane on the Hudson river without a single loss of life. SULLY may not be a masterpiece, but it compels your attention by careful reconstruction of the before and after moments of what could have been a major tragedy in a quick and matter of fact approach that can only occur with all quality work by all film makers involved. GRADE----------B
Most comedies of late have resorted to becoming as gross and vulgar as possible when it comes to (getting sexual) laughs, and the new film BAD MOMS is no exception. Fortunately, this film also has a very clever and witty script that balances out the outrageous gags with some very profound, witty plotting, and mix with that an all out frontal comic assault by Kathryn Huhn as the more outrageous of the moms, and you have a film that despite some crude sexual humor, is actually quite amusing much of the time. Mila Kunis is a mom at the end of her rope--over worked, under appreciated, and her husband has just been kick out of the house. She feels that she cannot become the perfect mom expected of her (kid's extra curricular activities, lunches, PTA meetings, homework, plus housekeeping, full time work, etc.) and she shares her frustration with Kristen Bell and Huhn, and they all agree to step back from being so overwhelmed, but they butt heads with the domineering head of the PTA (an amusing Christina Applegate) who knows how to get what she wants. There are a few predictable moments, but mostly I laughed throughout much of the film, and have to give it high marks for that reason. GRADE----------B
Based on a popular novel, and directed with his usual flair for weirdness by Tim Burton, MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN is a visually fascinating telling of a young teen who loses his grandfather to a mysterious death, only to discover that he has special powers, and must find this "home" despite the misgivings of his parents. I have not read the novel, but I found the plot to be fascinating as it unfolds, and discovering the "talents" of each child was a surprise to me. By the last third, the action takes over the buildup, and the special effects take over. Still, a unique and engrossing film for those who have not read the novel. GRADE------B
A beautifully photographed film (mostly in New Zealand) enhances the story of THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS as it tells of a childless light house keeper and his wife on a lonely island who
find a baby in a rowboat, and adopt the child as their own, without reporting this to the nearby village. Several years go by, but one day they realize that the child belongs to a rich woman in the village who had lost her husband and child in a storm on the ocean. The film is a love story and a tragedy, and the two actors involved (recent Oscar winner Alicia Vikander and Michael Fassbinder) are extremely effective and affecting (as is the child's biological mother played by Rachael Weisz).
It is easy to see how Vikander and Fassbinder ended up becoming a real life couple during the filming of this story. In spite of my best efforts otherwise, copious tears were flowing from my eyes by the end of this film................. GRADE-------------B
Also premiering at SIFF last May with solid visuals and technically superior in all categories, this French film COME WHAT MAY tells of a small village forced to flee due to advancing Nazi troops. The film balances several story lines, including a father who is imprisoned and must leave his young son behind with strangers. While the set up may be familiar, the film satisfies on many levels, especially what may become one of his last beautifully memorable musical scores by the aging Ennio Morricone. GRADE--------B
From SIFF comes a modest but successful comedy drama of a struggling young gay man who returns to his small town from New York City to help care for his mother (played subtly by comedian Molly Shannon) who is dying of cancer. The title is generic--OTHER PEOPLE--but the film creates some affecting characters and is quite moving at times, and very funny at other times. GRADE------------B-
This SIFF film, COMPLETE UNKNOWN, left me frustrated and bored--it's an intriguing idea that seems to go nowhere. Married man Michael Shannon attends a dinner party where a friend shows up with a woman he seems to recognize, but she denies knowing him. He follows her home and eventually gets her to confess that she is his ex-girl friend, played by Rachael Weisz. There is a lot of talking, and an interesting couple played by Kathy Bates and Danny Glover pop up-- they have just one scene---I'm not sure why, as they could easily be cut from the film. The film ends in an uninteresting, unresolved manner, and I was very impatient with it. GRADE---------D+
From SIFF, this boring juvenile film called ZOOM mixes live action with animation. In fact, top billing is Gael Garcia Bernal who only appears as an animated character suffering from a shrinking penis (no kidding). Smart move to not appear physically, Bernal. The other top billing is Allison Pill who works in a sex doll factory, and is determined to have a gigantic breast implant (which she does!) because she feels inferior to all the sex dolls she makes with her sexist boy friend (no kidding). Other ho hum subplots involve a doll stuffed with heroin and mailed across the border to Canada which must be retrieved. Ugh. Maybe 13 year old boys might find this film amusing, but most of it is smarmy. GRADE-----------D
==========VIEWED on DVD/TV ===================================
SOME LIKE IF HOT (1959)----Certainly one of the best films Billy Wilder ever directed, the best sexiest performance by Marilyn Monroe, the cleverest performance by Tony Curtis, the funniest acting by Jack Lemmon, and the funniest, wittiest comedy every made, this film is a pleasure to watch again and again. "Well.......Nobody's perfect!"--the final line of a perfect comedy. GRADE------A
THE BIG SLEEP(1946)----I've seen this film at least half a dozen times, and each time I swear I'm going to figure out the mystery part, but at the hour mark I give up and just let it happen, as it becomes incredibly convoluted towards the end, and there are actually some plot devices (including a murder) that are never explained. Mostly I enjoy the smart, witty dialogue that engulfs every scene. Here are three of my favorites lines:
Number 1--
Vivian: I don't like your manners.
Marlowe: And I'm not crazy about yours. I didn't ask to see you. I don't mind if you don't like my manners, I don't like them myself. They are pretty bad. I grieve over them on long winter evenings.
Number 2--
Marlowe: She tried to sit on my lap while I was standing up.
Number 3--
Marlowe: My my my---such a lot of guns around town and so few brains. You know you're the second guy I've met today that seems to think a gat in the hand means the world by the tail.
GRADE-------A-
TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT (1944)--This was the first pairing of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, where they fall in love on screen and in real life too. I never seem to remember the plot, something about a boat and moving around freedom fighters, but within 10 minutes I realize that Bogart and Bacall have a very steamy chemistry, and that this is the film that includes the famous line from Bacall---"You know how to whistle, don't you Steve? You just put your lips together and blow."
Their chemistry is at it's strongest here, I think. GRADE-----------------B
DARK PASSAGE (1947) This is my first viewing of this odd film. Bogart has just escaped from prison for killing his wife, for which he is innocent. You don't see his face for nearly half the film as he is getting a different face so he won't be caught while he tries to find out who the real killer is. Bacall plays sort of a stalker--a woman who likes him and tries to help him. The plot is weird, with a lot of coincidences with the characters. Bruce Bennett and Agnes Moorehead give nice performances, but I just kept shaking my head at the plot but I wasn't bored........... GRADE---------B
THE WIDOWER (2015)--A PBS mini series in three hours, but I watched it as a single film. This tells the true story of a male nurse who tries to murder all three women he marries to get their insurance. Nothing great stylistically, but the actors are good, especially the lead Reece Shearsmith, and the story is rather fantastic and engrossing. GRADE------B
THE IMMIGRANT (2014)---Two young sisters immigrate to New York in 1921, but one must remain in a hospital due to a lung infection. The other gets involved with a slick nightclub owner who forces her into prostitution. She tries to leave with the help of the nightclub owner's brother, who loves her. The story is rather melodramatic but the film is redeemed by a luminous performance by Marion Cotillard (an Oscar nominee for this film). GRADE-------B-
MISSING PERSON (2009)--This low budget film noir features Michael Shannon who goes in search of a man missing since 9/11 and is being sought by his wife. It's a curious story (the husband is involved, unknowingly to himself) with the abduction of kids into the drug trade, and he doesn't want to go back to his marriage. The film isn't bad, just leisurely and without much energy. GRADE-----------C+
MOMMY (2015)---French bad boy director Xavier Nolan has made some very interesting films, including one of my favorites from 2013 called TOM AT THE FARM and ELEPHANT SONG (2015). This film is is one of his more recent films, about a single mom with a very difficult ADHD son who is loud, vulgar, violent, and very unpleasant . The actors are game, and a neighbor who is a teacher tries to inject some calm and discipline into their life style. Unfortunately, there is a little too much hand held camera work for my taste, and the teenager, while effective, is so unlikeable for much of the film that it becomes difficult to watch. GRADE-------C+
Private screening of
FINAL CUT (2015?) This documentary/fictional film is a hybrid--a film made up of thousands of film clips from hundreds of different films, edited together to tell a cliched story of boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back again after a misunderstanding. I saw this film two years ago, but this time I loved it even more. It is so much fun seeing dozens of actors playing the same role, and the film is a witty love story to epic films. I think the title might be LADIES AND GENTLEMAN FINAL CUT. It was made in eastern Europe, and has never been released commercially. I think the film is made for education purposes only and the name of the director is Gyorgy Palfi. It doesn't show up in IMBd or Rotten Tomatoes and has only been shown by SIFF a few times. If you get a chance to see it, do so. GRADE-----------B
Thursday, September 1, 2016
HELL AND HIGH WATER, SOUTHSIDE WITH YOU, FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS, HANDS OF STONE, THE INTERVENTION, THE LAND, MORRIS FROM AMERICA, plus Preston Sturges classics.
I was thrilled to feel like I discovered a hidden gem. The new film HELL AND HIGH WATER is just that. It features Chris Pine and Ben Foster playing brothers on a bank robbing crime spree in an economically depressed modern day east Texas, and also features Jeff Bridges as a crusty old (?) sheriff on their trail with his Mexican/Indian deputy along as the brunt of his racist (but lovable) jabs. The dialogue is nicely sharp, and the milieu is grim, but Bridges made me laugh often, and Pine and Foster made me sad. There are at least two very fine special things about this film. One is the deputy played with much sympathy by Gil Birmingham--his final scene caught me off guard with an audible ache in my throat. There is also a brilliant scene at a bank that happens to be filled with mostly men cashing their payroll checks all at the same time. This being Texas, every customer pulls out a gun when it becomes clear that the bank is being robbed, and what follows is a sublime sequence that is both funny and terrifying. It's a small film but watching it feels like perfection. GRADE----------A-
Another sublime film is the fictional account of what it may have been like when Barack and Michelle have their first date nearly twenty years ago in Chicago. SOUTHSIDE WITH YOU captures the characters in a delightful, canny way with very fine performances by a spot on Parker Sawyer who looks amazingly like a youthful Obama, and even if Tika Sumpter doesn't look to me much like Michelle, she nails the attitude and mannerisms that make SOUTHSIDE WITH YOU a delightful comedy/drama with hardly a political agenda in sight. Smart, funny and romantic, it should appeal to any political persuasion. GRADE----------A-
As usual, Meryl Streep is a force in this (and every) film, and she gives FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS the gravitas that keeps this biographical comedy/drama bubbling and fascinating, and when her back story is reveled it has a sting. Based on the true story of the title character, Florence is a leading opera fan and head of many musical clubs in high society. She believes she should share her love of music by singing for her fans. Unfortunately she cannot carry much of a tune, and there is both humor and sadness in her musical efforts. Hugh Grant is her accommodating rich husband--it is one his best roles in a while, and the film is technically smooth to watch and very fascinatingly made by the brilliant British director Stephan Frears (PHILOMOMIA 2013, THE QUEEN 2006, HIGH FIDELITY 2000, MY BEAUTIFUL LAUNDRETTE 1985 etc.) GRADE----B+
Here is a boxing movie for people who don't like boxing movies. Based on a true story, HANDS OF STONE follows the life of a fatherless child in Panama who lives on the streets, hustling food for his mother and siblings, fighting off bullies if he needs to. He becomes a fighter, and is introduced to an older mentor played by the great Robert deNiro, who shapes him into a welter weight champion. The film concentrates on his life and family, and boxing sequences are not protracted. The film covers, quickly, a number of years and for the most part is engrossing and effective. GRADE-----------B
I actually started off in the theatre playing the new version of BEN HUR, but in the first 25 minutes, the film was so annoyingly hand held and herky jerky in every moment, that I fled the auditorium and saw instead HANDS OF STONE. My advise is to stick with the 1959 version of BEN HUR with an iconic performance by Charlton Heston. Whatever you may think of Heston's misguided politics (and I accredit that to his dementia in his last 15 years) that classic version is a fine, engrossing epic that hooks me every time I see it, especially when playing in wide screen in a theatre.
A small independent film written and directed by actress Clea Duvall, THE INTERVENTION is a smart, amusing film of four couples who meet for a weekend with the hidden agenda to try to convince one antagonistic couple to split and divorce, since that couple is always fighting. The supporting cast includes many of the director's friends, who are up and coming actors, including Melanie Lynsky, Jason Ritter, Natasha Lyonne and Cobie Smulder, and while the film is not earth shattering (think low budget THE BIG CHILL without the music) it is enjoyable enough. GRADE------------B-
Four skateboarding friends discover a bag of drugs and spend several weeks trying to escape the clutches of the evil drug "queen" who wants her pills back. The film called THE LAND is effective, especially as the queen is played with chilling viciousness by Broadway actress Linda Emond. She is also appearing this summer in my favorite movie (so far) INDIGNATION in another intense role as the mother of the protagonist. THE LAND is nearly the same plot as another film from last year called DOPE--see below. GRADE-------B-
A single black man transfers his hip hop loving young teen son to his new job in a small German town, where the kid feels alienated and lonely, in the comedy/drama MORRIS FROM AMERICA. When he does start to create friends, each scene seems to be a cliche of youthful coming of age ie. sex, drugs, alcohol, lying, running away, etc. Comedian Craig Robinson (from TV's THE OFFICE) is the father, and he is fine. I just felt underwhelmed by the plot. GRADE---------C+
The interesting cast (Paul Giamatti, Toby Jones, Michelle Yeoh and others) each have a least one good scene in the new film MORGAN but the mechanics of the plot, which plays like a poor man's EX MACHINA (2015) had me guessing the next moves from 10 minutes in, and the final "twist" is projected from her first scene. Kate Mara is arriving at a forest station to assess the viability of an artificial intelligence, but all the scientists seem to want to mislead her into thinking that all is OK. At the half way point, the plot becomes extremely predictable and banal. Stay home and rent EX MACHINA if you haven't already seen it. I wasn't crazy about that one either, but at least it has some moody pleasures. GRADE--------C
____________________
Following films viewed on DVD----------
SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS (1942)--this is a classic Preston Sturges film. Joel McCrea plays a film director who decides to disguise himself as a hobo to gather experiences of poverty--all the better to make his new film O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU. Instead he finds a girl (Veronica Lake) and finds it difficult to actually be broken down in America. Skillful blend of comedy, drama and social commentary. GRADE------A
THE PALM BEACH STORY (1942)---Another Sturges classic, this one has Claudette Colbert deciding to divorce her loving husband (Joel McCrea), and then marrying a millionaire to raise money for McCrea's latest project. The dialogue is witty and silly all at once at times, and Rudy Vallee and Mary Astor amusingly play the wealthy brother and sister who try to seduce the couple. There's a wacky, hilarious scene aboard a train where a dozen drunken men have a shooting contest. All of these Sturges films featured a number of the same character players, most notably William Demarest and Franklin Pangborn. GRADE--------A-
WAIT UNTIL DARK---(1967) Audrey Hepburn was an Oscar nominee again for this thriller based on a stage play. She plays a newly blinded newly wed who is terrorized by three hoodlums searching for a doll filled with drugs that her husband was given by a strange woman on a plane. He has left for another trip, and she cannot find the doll, nor can the three men who try to search her apartment, thinking she cannot see them. There is a lot of tension, and a young Alan Arkin plays three roles as the most vicious of them. GRADE--------A-
HAIL THE CONQUERING HERO (1944)----Another classic Preston Sturges film has Eddie Bracken playing a young soldier who has been released from the Marines for over a year due to medical issues, but he is afraid to go home to his small town and his mother because he is embarrassed that he saw no action in the war. He meets up with some friendly Marines (including William Demerest again) who go home with him, but they get caught up in a cascading lie that Bracken was a war hero. Clever, witty comedy with a sharp dramatic edge. GRADE------B+
20 FEET FROM STARDOM (2013)--Lively, informative, musical documentary about the struggles of back up singers to the stars, features interviews and performances by Sting, Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Sheryl Crow, Bette Midler, David Bowie, Lou Adler, and many many others, and highlights the lives of nearly a dozen back up singers including some more famous ones like Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, Judith Hill and other. It's a rousing, likeable film. GRADE-----B+
THE GREAT MOMENT (1944)--One of the few dramas that Preston Sturges wrote and directed, the film, based on a true story, features Joel McCrea again, along with William Demarest as his side kick. McCrea plays a dentist who discovers a way to operate on body and teeth without pain to the patient. The film is engrossing and informative, although it is awkwardly constructed, with the final denouncement playing first, so that the film looses some kick in the end. GRADE------B
DOPE (2015)--Three geeky high school friends into music and bicycles, find drugs in a bag and try to sell them, while being pursued by the drug "lord" in a plot that plays a lot like THE LAND above. Lively music by Busta Rhymes, Pharrell Williams, Tribe Called Quest, and many others. Nice mixture of comedy, drama, violence and satire. GRADE---------B
THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE (1967)--A big budgeted extravagant "20's" musical featuring Julie Andrews, who must dance in the elevator to make it go up or down, a miscast Mary Tyler Moore as her friend who never carries any money with her, an over the top rich society dame Carol Channing, the simple man James Fox who may or may not love Andrews and Beatrice Lillie who heads a white sex slave girl ring (!!!!!) --they all seem to have a lot of fun in this film, but the plot is rather odd (white sex slave ring!!!???) and some songs and dances are better than others. In my opinion, the old pros Channing and Lillie steal the film in their scenes. GRADE---------B-
Another sublime film is the fictional account of what it may have been like when Barack and Michelle have their first date nearly twenty years ago in Chicago. SOUTHSIDE WITH YOU captures the characters in a delightful, canny way with very fine performances by a spot on Parker Sawyer who looks amazingly like a youthful Obama, and even if Tika Sumpter doesn't look to me much like Michelle, she nails the attitude and mannerisms that make SOUTHSIDE WITH YOU a delightful comedy/drama with hardly a political agenda in sight. Smart, funny and romantic, it should appeal to any political persuasion. GRADE----------A-
As usual, Meryl Streep is a force in this (and every) film, and she gives FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS the gravitas that keeps this biographical comedy/drama bubbling and fascinating, and when her back story is reveled it has a sting. Based on the true story of the title character, Florence is a leading opera fan and head of many musical clubs in high society. She believes she should share her love of music by singing for her fans. Unfortunately she cannot carry much of a tune, and there is both humor and sadness in her musical efforts. Hugh Grant is her accommodating rich husband--it is one his best roles in a while, and the film is technically smooth to watch and very fascinatingly made by the brilliant British director Stephan Frears (PHILOMOMIA 2013, THE QUEEN 2006, HIGH FIDELITY 2000, MY BEAUTIFUL LAUNDRETTE 1985 etc.) GRADE----B+
Here is a boxing movie for people who don't like boxing movies. Based on a true story, HANDS OF STONE follows the life of a fatherless child in Panama who lives on the streets, hustling food for his mother and siblings, fighting off bullies if he needs to. He becomes a fighter, and is introduced to an older mentor played by the great Robert deNiro, who shapes him into a welter weight champion. The film concentrates on his life and family, and boxing sequences are not protracted. The film covers, quickly, a number of years and for the most part is engrossing and effective. GRADE-----------B
I actually started off in the theatre playing the new version of BEN HUR, but in the first 25 minutes, the film was so annoyingly hand held and herky jerky in every moment, that I fled the auditorium and saw instead HANDS OF STONE. My advise is to stick with the 1959 version of BEN HUR with an iconic performance by Charlton Heston. Whatever you may think of Heston's misguided politics (and I accredit that to his dementia in his last 15 years) that classic version is a fine, engrossing epic that hooks me every time I see it, especially when playing in wide screen in a theatre.
A small independent film written and directed by actress Clea Duvall, THE INTERVENTION is a smart, amusing film of four couples who meet for a weekend with the hidden agenda to try to convince one antagonistic couple to split and divorce, since that couple is always fighting. The supporting cast includes many of the director's friends, who are up and coming actors, including Melanie Lynsky, Jason Ritter, Natasha Lyonne and Cobie Smulder, and while the film is not earth shattering (think low budget THE BIG CHILL without the music) it is enjoyable enough. GRADE------------B-
Four skateboarding friends discover a bag of drugs and spend several weeks trying to escape the clutches of the evil drug "queen" who wants her pills back. The film called THE LAND is effective, especially as the queen is played with chilling viciousness by Broadway actress Linda Emond. She is also appearing this summer in my favorite movie (so far) INDIGNATION in another intense role as the mother of the protagonist. THE LAND is nearly the same plot as another film from last year called DOPE--see below. GRADE-------B-
A single black man transfers his hip hop loving young teen son to his new job in a small German town, where the kid feels alienated and lonely, in the comedy/drama MORRIS FROM AMERICA. When he does start to create friends, each scene seems to be a cliche of youthful coming of age ie. sex, drugs, alcohol, lying, running away, etc. Comedian Craig Robinson (from TV's THE OFFICE) is the father, and he is fine. I just felt underwhelmed by the plot. GRADE---------C+
The interesting cast (Paul Giamatti, Toby Jones, Michelle Yeoh and others) each have a least one good scene in the new film MORGAN but the mechanics of the plot, which plays like a poor man's EX MACHINA (2015) had me guessing the next moves from 10 minutes in, and the final "twist" is projected from her first scene. Kate Mara is arriving at a forest station to assess the viability of an artificial intelligence, but all the scientists seem to want to mislead her into thinking that all is OK. At the half way point, the plot becomes extremely predictable and banal. Stay home and rent EX MACHINA if you haven't already seen it. I wasn't crazy about that one either, but at least it has some moody pleasures. GRADE--------C
____________________
Following films viewed on DVD----------
SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS (1942)--this is a classic Preston Sturges film. Joel McCrea plays a film director who decides to disguise himself as a hobo to gather experiences of poverty--all the better to make his new film O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU. Instead he finds a girl (Veronica Lake) and finds it difficult to actually be broken down in America. Skillful blend of comedy, drama and social commentary. GRADE------A
THE PALM BEACH STORY (1942)---Another Sturges classic, this one has Claudette Colbert deciding to divorce her loving husband (Joel McCrea), and then marrying a millionaire to raise money for McCrea's latest project. The dialogue is witty and silly all at once at times, and Rudy Vallee and Mary Astor amusingly play the wealthy brother and sister who try to seduce the couple. There's a wacky, hilarious scene aboard a train where a dozen drunken men have a shooting contest. All of these Sturges films featured a number of the same character players, most notably William Demarest and Franklin Pangborn. GRADE--------A-
WAIT UNTIL DARK---(1967) Audrey Hepburn was an Oscar nominee again for this thriller based on a stage play. She plays a newly blinded newly wed who is terrorized by three hoodlums searching for a doll filled with drugs that her husband was given by a strange woman on a plane. He has left for another trip, and she cannot find the doll, nor can the three men who try to search her apartment, thinking she cannot see them. There is a lot of tension, and a young Alan Arkin plays three roles as the most vicious of them. GRADE--------A-
HAIL THE CONQUERING HERO (1944)----Another classic Preston Sturges film has Eddie Bracken playing a young soldier who has been released from the Marines for over a year due to medical issues, but he is afraid to go home to his small town and his mother because he is embarrassed that he saw no action in the war. He meets up with some friendly Marines (including William Demerest again) who go home with him, but they get caught up in a cascading lie that Bracken was a war hero. Clever, witty comedy with a sharp dramatic edge. GRADE------B+
20 FEET FROM STARDOM (2013)--Lively, informative, musical documentary about the struggles of back up singers to the stars, features interviews and performances by Sting, Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Sheryl Crow, Bette Midler, David Bowie, Lou Adler, and many many others, and highlights the lives of nearly a dozen back up singers including some more famous ones like Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, Judith Hill and other. It's a rousing, likeable film. GRADE-----B+
THE GREAT MOMENT (1944)--One of the few dramas that Preston Sturges wrote and directed, the film, based on a true story, features Joel McCrea again, along with William Demarest as his side kick. McCrea plays a dentist who discovers a way to operate on body and teeth without pain to the patient. The film is engrossing and informative, although it is awkwardly constructed, with the final denouncement playing first, so that the film looses some kick in the end. GRADE------B
DOPE (2015)--Three geeky high school friends into music and bicycles, find drugs in a bag and try to sell them, while being pursued by the drug "lord" in a plot that plays a lot like THE LAND above. Lively music by Busta Rhymes, Pharrell Williams, Tribe Called Quest, and many others. Nice mixture of comedy, drama, violence and satire. GRADE---------B
THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE (1967)--A big budgeted extravagant "20's" musical featuring Julie Andrews, who must dance in the elevator to make it go up or down, a miscast Mary Tyler Moore as her friend who never carries any money with her, an over the top rich society dame Carol Channing, the simple man James Fox who may or may not love Andrews and Beatrice Lillie who heads a white sex slave girl ring (!!!!!) --they all seem to have a lot of fun in this film, but the plot is rather odd (white sex slave ring!!!???) and some songs and dances are better than others. In my opinion, the old pros Channing and Lillie steal the film in their scenes. GRADE---------B-
Wednesday, August 10, 2016
INDIGNATION, THE INNOCENTS, FINDING DORY, THE HUNT FOR WILDERPEOPLE, STAR TREK BEYOND, DON'T THINK TWICE, THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS, THE BFG, GHOSTBUSTERS, JASON BOURNE, plus Preston Surges classics.
A week visiting my grand daughter resulted in viewing three "family" films, and they were all pretty good--FINDING DORY, THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS and Spielberg's THE BFG. Here in descending order are all the first run films I saw this past month.
My favorite from SIFF this past May is a film I greatly admire, but it is difficult to love. Based on a novel by Phillip Roth, INDIGNATION, which opens nationwide this weekend, tells the story of a young Jewish man who avoids the Korean war conflict by becoming a college student, but his values and philosophy come into conflict with the mid-western sensibilities of this Protestant school. The casual viewer may think that nothing much is happening here, but several extended sequences involving his sexual relationship with a non Jewish woman with issues, his conflict with the head dean of the college over housing decisions (!), and a devastating rebuttal from his mother lead our protagonist to life changing consequences. The astonishing supporting performances by Tracy Letts and Linda Emond as the dean and the mother, should be immortalized in stone. The tone is comic, cynical and sarcastic, but the tragedy is eerie and lingering. This is the first film directed by James Shamus, a renown writer and producer who has worked extensively with director Ang Lee (BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, LIFE OF PI) among others, and was the co-founder and former CEO of Focus Features. To coin a cliche, he hit's this one out of the park in a thoughtful, subtle and disturbing way. This is the Best Film of the Year, so far. GRADE------------A
Opening across the nation during the past month is another SIFF favorite. Set during the end of World War II and inspired by a true story, THE INNOCENTS tells of a small convent that was set upon by the Red Army. Several nuns have been raped and impregnated and are in desperate need of medical attention. The film focuses on a female doctor who tries to help medically, but finds herself overwhelmed by the emotional distress that these nuns have with their situation. The film plays like a more serious super sized episode of the PBS TV show CALL THE MIDWIFE in French, and there is nothing wrong with that show at all. GRADE-----------A-
Somehow during the final 20 minutes of FINDING DORY, the new Pixar film sequel to FINDING NEMO from a number of years back, I began laughing like an idiot, finding that nearly every gag and joke was hitting the mark. In retrospect, I'm not sure those jokes were as funny as they seemed, but I had a very fine time with Dory and company. I was very conscious of Dory and her lack of memory retention. Here's a film that showcases the main character with dementia and alzheimers
symptoms, yet manages to be warm and funny as well. GRADE----------B+
A witty and charming New Zealand comedy, HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE is an exotic adventure chase film featuring a hip hop loving, smart aleck "bad egg" of a kid who's been kicked out of a number of foster homes due to his irrepressible anger towards society. He finally ends up at a family that just might work, until a sudden twist of fate sends him into the wilderness with his caustic foster father, played by the irrascible Sam Neill. To be honest, the film does run out of comic energy by the final 10 minutes, but any film that can find laughs along the way with sentimentality, gun control, child abuse, bad cops and survivalism gets my vote. GRADE----------B
Written and directed by comedian Mike Birbiglia, DON'T THINK TWICE feels very much like a true life film. A close knit group of friends live together as a comedy/improv group, while each works a day job, trying to hit the big time. When one of their group does hit the big time (in this case a late night comedy TV show very much like Saturday Night Live) the group begins to splinter with jealousy and anger, just as they lose their theatre lease. The tone is comic and ironic and each member is well played by young actors/comedienes including Birbiglia, Keegan-Michael Key, Jillian Jacobs and others. GRADE-----------B
Two films ago, the STAR TREK series was successfully rebooted, but now with this new film STAR TREK BEYOND it feels like that reboot needs to happen again. It's not bad, but the plot feels familiar, and how many times can the Star Ship Enterprise be damaged beyond belief and still fly????? He didn't have much to do in this latest film but I'm going to miss Anton Yelchim as Chekov. I'm glad that some of the characters are given more character development, and I look forward to the next adventure. Just wish I was a little more excited about this OK trek. GRADE-------------B-
The set up of the animated THE SECRET LIVES OF PETS is great--what wacky things might our dogs and cats and birds be doing when we are not home? Indeed, during the first 10 minutes, things are pretty funny. The problem starts when two dogs go missing (that darned animal control) and another fluffy dog decides to track them down. The plot device leads to chases through construction sites, sewers, "gangster" animals (with Kevin Hart as Snowball--a cute white bunny with a foul temper as a standout voice) and other ho hum locations. The film is watchable and engaging at times, but not nearly as funny or clever as it could have been. GRADE-------------B-
There is much to admire technically about Steven Spielberg's newest fantasy, THE BFG. The big friendly giant in question is nicely played by recent Oscar winner Mark Rylance (for Spielberg's BRIDGE OF SPIES) and there are a dozen other giants---even bigger!--that are not so nice. In fact they want to eat the young girl that BFG has kidnapped (for friendly reasons) at the start of the film and much of the conflict comes from escaping their clutches. BFG and the girl decide to ask the Queen of England for help, and there is a funny sequence involving flatuance at the palace. I wasn't so impressed with this story, however, and there is a sluggishness in the pacing that tried the patience of the younger kids in the audience. Still, visually the film is delightful and the imagery triggers a totally new imaginary world that has stuck with me for several weeks. GRADE------B-
The original GHOSTBUSTERS film is still quite vivid in my mind, and I've recently seen that first landmark comedy--it holds up very well. Now comes a new remake with an all female cast (yeah!) and as much as I enjoyed it, I kept feeling that I'd seen it all before. The story is basically the same, the ghosts are all very familiar-looking (including another visit from the Stay puff man) , and once again the city is besieged by these slimmers from the great beyond, and only the GHOSTBUSTERS can stop them. Yawn. The good news is the cast, with Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy getting the lion's share of the plot and gag lines, and they are pretty funny. Kate McKinnon is interesting as one of the scientists, but for me the scene stealer is Leslie Jones, who joins the team recently from the New York transit scene--and doesn't know much about the mechanics, but knows a ghost when she sees one. Hopefully this film will verify once and for all that a cast of all women can get the job done on any film coming out of Hollywood-----I just wish the film had been more original in plot. GRADE----------B-
This new version of the series, now just called JASON BOURNE after the title character, features all the chases and fights and car crashes and spy shenanigans that you'd expect from this series that set Matt Damon on the road to action hero/star. Unfortuantely, the director has continued his reliance on jiggly hand held camera work, and half way through this film I was forced to move from a middle section seat to the very last row, because the camera action was making me nauseaus. The film could be improved by the introduction of some humanistic responses and traits from Bourne--he has become an icy cold killing machine with little to no character empathy. I did, however, like the new agent added to the film, played with her usual intelligence by Oscar winner (for THE DANISH GIRL) Alicia Vikander. I won't however be seeing any more films by Paul Greengrass unless I'm sure he's learned to make a film without twirling the camera around so that most scenes look like a bleary blur. GRADE-----------C+
____________________________________________________
Films viewed on DVD-------
THE LADY EVE (1941) --Perhaps Preston Sturges best film, this comedy of the sexes has Henry Fonda as the son of a wealthy beer magnate, and Barbara Stanwyck the daughter of a card shark. She and her father try to swindle Fonda out of big bucks aboard a cruise ship, but their scheme falls apart when she falls for him, and vice a versa. Hilariously, this is only the first half of the film. Many great lines, wonderful supporting performances (including Charles Coburn as her conniving father and William Demarest--a Sturges regular-- as Fonda's man Friday) and cracker jack dialogue keep this comedy floating above the others. GRADE------A
AND THEN THERE WERE NONE (2016)---This BBC movie version of Agatha Christie's novel is the best version I've seen, mainly because of the three hour time spent on characterizations, and the cast, which includes Miranda Richardson, Sam Neill, Charles Dance, Aiden Turner, Toby Stephens, Noah Taylor, Anna Maxwell Martin and newcomer (for me) Maeve Devmody and others...and they are all superb. Each character has secrets that slowly come out, and there are many twists and turns. Even though I've seen this story several times and know the finale, it still surprises me. Set on a private island, ten strangers are invited to dinner by a mysterious guest, and one by one they are killed off because of their crimes against society. Moody, creepy, sinister and fascinating, this is an excellent adaptation. GRADE-------A-
CAKE (2014)--A stunning characterization by Jennifer Aniston as a woman who survived a horrific accident that killed her child and left her nearly paralyzed with daily pain is the heart of this fascinating and moving story. Based on a true story, this woman has lost not only her son, but her marriage, her sanity, her friends, and spends her days taking pain killers and talking to the ghost of another victim who commited suicide because her pain was so dibilitating. Her only comfort--her Mexican house keeper--who is paid to stay by her side, but provides her with much needed sympathy and support. Well done. GRADE-------B+
MURDER AT THE GALLOP (1963)---One of four films made that featured the delightful Margaret Rutherford as Miss Jane Marple in versions of Agatha Christie's novels, this one benefits from some sterling peoformances by Robert Morley and Flora Robson as relatives under suspicion of murdering the deceased for his estate money, but of course several new murders limit the guilty suspect. GRADE----------B
THE GREAT MCGINTY (1940)--The first film Preston Sturges was able to direct (as well as write)--this amusing fable stars Brian Donlevy as a homeless man who is hired to vote numerous times for the city mayor, who takes him under his wing as a "heavy"--but McGinty is so effective that he quickly becomes promoted to governor of the state, and discovers that he is really an honest person. Sturges apparently sold this story to the studio for one dollar, on the condition that he alone could direct it, and that started a string of a dozen popular films that he directed in the 1940's.
GRADE---------B
LUV (1967)---This comedy of the absurd will not be for everyone's taste, but the sparkling cast includes Jack Lemmon as a suicidal man, Peter Falk as an old college buddy who rescues him only to pawn him off on his depressed wife that he wants to divorce, and Elaine May plays the wife who only wants to keep her faithless husband. Some of the lines fall very flat, others are brilliant, and the supporting cast is amusing. This was first an unsuccessful play, and it is now a sometimes brilliant if odd film. GRADE--------B-
CHRISTMAS IN JULY (1940)--Preston Sturges wrote and directed this slight comedy about a naive young man (Dick Powell) who mistakenly believes that he has won the best slogan award from a coffee company, and, incredibly, convinces a major department store that he has a check for $25000 to cover the cost of his spending spree. The film is light weight and short (less than 70 minutes) and is not his best effort, but the cast is game, and gives William Demarest (again) the best gag at the end.
GRADE---------C+
GOODBYE CHARLIE (1964)--Director Vincente Minnelli gives this odd film some sparkle, and Debbie Reynolds is fascinating in the roll of a philandering man who is killed by a jealous husband (Walter Matthau with a funny eastern European accent) but returns to his home "reincarnated" as
a woman. In life, his/her best friend is Tony Curtis, who tries to figure out what happened, then realizes he is attracted to her, but the film does not deal with that situation seriously. Too bad. Ellen Burstyn has a small early role as a woman who had a relationship with the Reynolds character before his death. It's easy to see what attracted Blake Edwards to want to remake this film in 1991 as SWITCH. He tried to give it a feminist sensibility, but most reviews I've seen complained that is was
tasteless and sexist. I haven't seen it yet, but it is curious to me. GRADE--------C+
YOURS, MINE, OURS (1968)--Lucille Ball is a widow with 8 kids, and Henry Fonda is a widower with 10 kids, and they meet cute and marry (both are in the service) and this giant family provides most of the laughs and drama that comes with so many family members. Unfortunately, the film tries to be even handed and serious, taking much of the fun out of the proceedings. GRADE------C+
PHFFFT! (1954)--Based on a Broadway stage play, this one has Jack Lemmon and Judy Holliday divorcing after a long marriage. They start to date others--a young Kim Novak for Lemmon, and Lemmon's best friend Jack Carson for Holliday, but they soon long for each other again. The film is very talky, without much effort to "open it up" so the film feels claustrophobic, although each character has their moments. GRADE---------C+
My favorite from SIFF this past May is a film I greatly admire, but it is difficult to love. Based on a novel by Phillip Roth, INDIGNATION, which opens nationwide this weekend, tells the story of a young Jewish man who avoids the Korean war conflict by becoming a college student, but his values and philosophy come into conflict with the mid-western sensibilities of this Protestant school. The casual viewer may think that nothing much is happening here, but several extended sequences involving his sexual relationship with a non Jewish woman with issues, his conflict with the head dean of the college over housing decisions (!), and a devastating rebuttal from his mother lead our protagonist to life changing consequences. The astonishing supporting performances by Tracy Letts and Linda Emond as the dean and the mother, should be immortalized in stone. The tone is comic, cynical and sarcastic, but the tragedy is eerie and lingering. This is the first film directed by James Shamus, a renown writer and producer who has worked extensively with director Ang Lee (BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, LIFE OF PI) among others, and was the co-founder and former CEO of Focus Features. To coin a cliche, he hit's this one out of the park in a thoughtful, subtle and disturbing way. This is the Best Film of the Year, so far. GRADE------------A
Opening across the nation during the past month is another SIFF favorite. Set during the end of World War II and inspired by a true story, THE INNOCENTS tells of a small convent that was set upon by the Red Army. Several nuns have been raped and impregnated and are in desperate need of medical attention. The film focuses on a female doctor who tries to help medically, but finds herself overwhelmed by the emotional distress that these nuns have with their situation. The film plays like a more serious super sized episode of the PBS TV show CALL THE MIDWIFE in French, and there is nothing wrong with that show at all. GRADE-----------A-
Somehow during the final 20 minutes of FINDING DORY, the new Pixar film sequel to FINDING NEMO from a number of years back, I began laughing like an idiot, finding that nearly every gag and joke was hitting the mark. In retrospect, I'm not sure those jokes were as funny as they seemed, but I had a very fine time with Dory and company. I was very conscious of Dory and her lack of memory retention. Here's a film that showcases the main character with dementia and alzheimers
symptoms, yet manages to be warm and funny as well. GRADE----------B+
A witty and charming New Zealand comedy, HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE is an exotic adventure chase film featuring a hip hop loving, smart aleck "bad egg" of a kid who's been kicked out of a number of foster homes due to his irrepressible anger towards society. He finally ends up at a family that just might work, until a sudden twist of fate sends him into the wilderness with his caustic foster father, played by the irrascible Sam Neill. To be honest, the film does run out of comic energy by the final 10 minutes, but any film that can find laughs along the way with sentimentality, gun control, child abuse, bad cops and survivalism gets my vote. GRADE----------B
Written and directed by comedian Mike Birbiglia, DON'T THINK TWICE feels very much like a true life film. A close knit group of friends live together as a comedy/improv group, while each works a day job, trying to hit the big time. When one of their group does hit the big time (in this case a late night comedy TV show very much like Saturday Night Live) the group begins to splinter with jealousy and anger, just as they lose their theatre lease. The tone is comic and ironic and each member is well played by young actors/comedienes including Birbiglia, Keegan-Michael Key, Jillian Jacobs and others. GRADE-----------B
Two films ago, the STAR TREK series was successfully rebooted, but now with this new film STAR TREK BEYOND it feels like that reboot needs to happen again. It's not bad, but the plot feels familiar, and how many times can the Star Ship Enterprise be damaged beyond belief and still fly????? He didn't have much to do in this latest film but I'm going to miss Anton Yelchim as Chekov. I'm glad that some of the characters are given more character development, and I look forward to the next adventure. Just wish I was a little more excited about this OK trek. GRADE-------------B-
The set up of the animated THE SECRET LIVES OF PETS is great--what wacky things might our dogs and cats and birds be doing when we are not home? Indeed, during the first 10 minutes, things are pretty funny. The problem starts when two dogs go missing (that darned animal control) and another fluffy dog decides to track them down. The plot device leads to chases through construction sites, sewers, "gangster" animals (with Kevin Hart as Snowball--a cute white bunny with a foul temper as a standout voice) and other ho hum locations. The film is watchable and engaging at times, but not nearly as funny or clever as it could have been. GRADE-------------B-
There is much to admire technically about Steven Spielberg's newest fantasy, THE BFG. The big friendly giant in question is nicely played by recent Oscar winner Mark Rylance (for Spielberg's BRIDGE OF SPIES) and there are a dozen other giants---even bigger!--that are not so nice. In fact they want to eat the young girl that BFG has kidnapped (for friendly reasons) at the start of the film and much of the conflict comes from escaping their clutches. BFG and the girl decide to ask the Queen of England for help, and there is a funny sequence involving flatuance at the palace. I wasn't so impressed with this story, however, and there is a sluggishness in the pacing that tried the patience of the younger kids in the audience. Still, visually the film is delightful and the imagery triggers a totally new imaginary world that has stuck with me for several weeks. GRADE------B-
The original GHOSTBUSTERS film is still quite vivid in my mind, and I've recently seen that first landmark comedy--it holds up very well. Now comes a new remake with an all female cast (yeah!) and as much as I enjoyed it, I kept feeling that I'd seen it all before. The story is basically the same, the ghosts are all very familiar-looking (including another visit from the Stay puff man) , and once again the city is besieged by these slimmers from the great beyond, and only the GHOSTBUSTERS can stop them. Yawn. The good news is the cast, with Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy getting the lion's share of the plot and gag lines, and they are pretty funny. Kate McKinnon is interesting as one of the scientists, but for me the scene stealer is Leslie Jones, who joins the team recently from the New York transit scene--and doesn't know much about the mechanics, but knows a ghost when she sees one. Hopefully this film will verify once and for all that a cast of all women can get the job done on any film coming out of Hollywood-----I just wish the film had been more original in plot. GRADE----------B-
This new version of the series, now just called JASON BOURNE after the title character, features all the chases and fights and car crashes and spy shenanigans that you'd expect from this series that set Matt Damon on the road to action hero/star. Unfortuantely, the director has continued his reliance on jiggly hand held camera work, and half way through this film I was forced to move from a middle section seat to the very last row, because the camera action was making me nauseaus. The film could be improved by the introduction of some humanistic responses and traits from Bourne--he has become an icy cold killing machine with little to no character empathy. I did, however, like the new agent added to the film, played with her usual intelligence by Oscar winner (for THE DANISH GIRL) Alicia Vikander. I won't however be seeing any more films by Paul Greengrass unless I'm sure he's learned to make a film without twirling the camera around so that most scenes look like a bleary blur. GRADE-----------C+
____________________________________________________
Films viewed on DVD-------
THE LADY EVE (1941) --Perhaps Preston Sturges best film, this comedy of the sexes has Henry Fonda as the son of a wealthy beer magnate, and Barbara Stanwyck the daughter of a card shark. She and her father try to swindle Fonda out of big bucks aboard a cruise ship, but their scheme falls apart when she falls for him, and vice a versa. Hilariously, this is only the first half of the film. Many great lines, wonderful supporting performances (including Charles Coburn as her conniving father and William Demarest--a Sturges regular-- as Fonda's man Friday) and cracker jack dialogue keep this comedy floating above the others. GRADE------A
AND THEN THERE WERE NONE (2016)---This BBC movie version of Agatha Christie's novel is the best version I've seen, mainly because of the three hour time spent on characterizations, and the cast, which includes Miranda Richardson, Sam Neill, Charles Dance, Aiden Turner, Toby Stephens, Noah Taylor, Anna Maxwell Martin and newcomer (for me) Maeve Devmody and others...and they are all superb. Each character has secrets that slowly come out, and there are many twists and turns. Even though I've seen this story several times and know the finale, it still surprises me. Set on a private island, ten strangers are invited to dinner by a mysterious guest, and one by one they are killed off because of their crimes against society. Moody, creepy, sinister and fascinating, this is an excellent adaptation. GRADE-------A-
CAKE (2014)--A stunning characterization by Jennifer Aniston as a woman who survived a horrific accident that killed her child and left her nearly paralyzed with daily pain is the heart of this fascinating and moving story. Based on a true story, this woman has lost not only her son, but her marriage, her sanity, her friends, and spends her days taking pain killers and talking to the ghost of another victim who commited suicide because her pain was so dibilitating. Her only comfort--her Mexican house keeper--who is paid to stay by her side, but provides her with much needed sympathy and support. Well done. GRADE-------B+
MURDER AT THE GALLOP (1963)---One of four films made that featured the delightful Margaret Rutherford as Miss Jane Marple in versions of Agatha Christie's novels, this one benefits from some sterling peoformances by Robert Morley and Flora Robson as relatives under suspicion of murdering the deceased for his estate money, but of course several new murders limit the guilty suspect. GRADE----------B
THE GREAT MCGINTY (1940)--The first film Preston Sturges was able to direct (as well as write)--this amusing fable stars Brian Donlevy as a homeless man who is hired to vote numerous times for the city mayor, who takes him under his wing as a "heavy"--but McGinty is so effective that he quickly becomes promoted to governor of the state, and discovers that he is really an honest person. Sturges apparently sold this story to the studio for one dollar, on the condition that he alone could direct it, and that started a string of a dozen popular films that he directed in the 1940's.
GRADE---------B
LUV (1967)---This comedy of the absurd will not be for everyone's taste, but the sparkling cast includes Jack Lemmon as a suicidal man, Peter Falk as an old college buddy who rescues him only to pawn him off on his depressed wife that he wants to divorce, and Elaine May plays the wife who only wants to keep her faithless husband. Some of the lines fall very flat, others are brilliant, and the supporting cast is amusing. This was first an unsuccessful play, and it is now a sometimes brilliant if odd film. GRADE--------B-
CHRISTMAS IN JULY (1940)--Preston Sturges wrote and directed this slight comedy about a naive young man (Dick Powell) who mistakenly believes that he has won the best slogan award from a coffee company, and, incredibly, convinces a major department store that he has a check for $25000 to cover the cost of his spending spree. The film is light weight and short (less than 70 minutes) and is not his best effort, but the cast is game, and gives William Demarest (again) the best gag at the end.
GRADE---------C+
GOODBYE CHARLIE (1964)--Director Vincente Minnelli gives this odd film some sparkle, and Debbie Reynolds is fascinating in the roll of a philandering man who is killed by a jealous husband (Walter Matthau with a funny eastern European accent) but returns to his home "reincarnated" as
a woman. In life, his/her best friend is Tony Curtis, who tries to figure out what happened, then realizes he is attracted to her, but the film does not deal with that situation seriously. Too bad. Ellen Burstyn has a small early role as a woman who had a relationship with the Reynolds character before his death. It's easy to see what attracted Blake Edwards to want to remake this film in 1991 as SWITCH. He tried to give it a feminist sensibility, but most reviews I've seen complained that is was
tasteless and sexist. I haven't seen it yet, but it is curious to me. GRADE--------C+
YOURS, MINE, OURS (1968)--Lucille Ball is a widow with 8 kids, and Henry Fonda is a widower with 10 kids, and they meet cute and marry (both are in the service) and this giant family provides most of the laughs and drama that comes with so many family members. Unfortunately, the film tries to be even handed and serious, taking much of the fun out of the proceedings. GRADE------C+
PHFFFT! (1954)--Based on a Broadway stage play, this one has Jack Lemmon and Judy Holliday divorcing after a long marriage. They start to date others--a young Kim Novak for Lemmon, and Lemmon's best friend Jack Carson for Holliday, but they soon long for each other again. The film is very talky, without much effort to "open it up" so the film feels claustrophobic, although each character has their moments. GRADE---------C+
Monday, July 4, 2016
FREE STATE OF JONES, THE MEDDLER, DARK HORSE, THE MAN WHO KNEW INFINITY, plus HOWL 2010, A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS, IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT.......
It's nothing if not ambitious and mostly engaging. This historical film based on a true story, FREE STATE OF JONES is carried on the able shoulders of the lead Matthew McConaughey who plays a white soldier who becomes disenchanted with the Civil War, which seems to be a war to support and protect rich white people, he thinks, and he leaves the war and becomes a leader of white and black group of people who resist the Confederate side. My main objection is the final 20 minutes which becomes concerned with a trial of a descendant of McConaughey's character set 85 years later, as the county is trying to convict this (mostly) white man who the county believes is the descendant of a slave woman (he is) but several generations later this feels like a completely different film. (Watch for the film LOVING due out this fall about an interracial marriage in the South in the 1960's.) This subplot distracts from the power of the earlier story, and the film ends with a whimper. GRADE----B
Susan Sarandon steals this film, as is her wont, playing a recent widow who tries to become involved in her adult daughter's life in THE MEDDLER. Fortunately the daughter escapes to New York for a job and leaves mom behind, forcing Sarandon to "meddle" in other people's lives, to great advantage to these near strangers. This comic drama features J.K. Simmons as a possible romantic interest for her, and it is a pleasure to see Simmons make the most of this small role. GRADE----------B
The documentary DARK HORSE tells of a small group of townspeople in Wales who band together to purchase and raise a potential race horse, and against all odds, the horse actually has some degree of success. It's an emotional, low key affair, but the pleasure is getting to know the townspeople and the horse itself. GRADE--------- B
THE MAN WHO KNEW INFINITY feels somewhat like a documentary but it fictionalizes the story of a poor Indian student genius mathematician Ramanujan who travels to England to study with a another prominent professor Hardy in an effort to become published. Played by Dev Patel and Jeremy Irons, respectively, the film illustrates the prejudices and scholarly political struggles that Ramanujan must overcome, although the intellectual theories and discussions tend to go over the heads of most viewers. Still the film works on a basic emotional level, and is well mounted and photographed. GRADE--------B-
VIEWED ON DVD------
A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS (1966)---I'd never seen this Oscar winning historical film (including best picture, actor and script) and even though the the story of Thomas More's struggle against Henry VIII is familiar, this film kept me riveted even though it started at 10pm and I was tired. Especially fascinating is the performance of Paul Scofield. An excellent combination of history, drama, and techinical finesse. GRADE--------A
HOWL (2010)--An intriguing mixture of bio-pic, obscenity trial drama , and animated illustrations of the offending HOWL poem written by Allen Ginsburg. The fine actors include James Franco as Ginsberg, Jon Hamm, and David Strathairn. GRADE--------B+
IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT (1967)--I hadn't seen this film since it opened, but it holds up well, with great actors (Oscar winner Rod Steiger and Sidney Poitier) trying to solve a murder while dealing with blatant racial prejudice. The film creates a smoky, uneasy mood, and over all is well done, but the final reveal is awkwardly handled. GRADE--------B+
FORCE MAJOURE (2014)---French film has a young Swedish family vacationing at a luxury ski resort. Early on during a lunch break on a sunny deck, an avalanche heads toward the tourists. Excitement and thrills suddenly turn to terror as it looks like the avalanche will overwhelm the diners. When the avalanche clears, all is well, but the event affects the married couple's relationship, and the family structure begins to crumble. This comic drama features much food for thought, although the ending feels unresolved. GRADE----------B
CLOUDS OF SILS MARIA (2014)--Aging film star feels insecure about returning to a remake of the film that started her career, but this time playing the older character. The interesting Juliette Binoche gives it her all, and Kristen Stewart who plays her assistant is fascinating, as well. The drama feels realistic, but is quite talky, and may annoy people not into backstage drama and turmoil. GRADE------B
Susan Sarandon steals this film, as is her wont, playing a recent widow who tries to become involved in her adult daughter's life in THE MEDDLER. Fortunately the daughter escapes to New York for a job and leaves mom behind, forcing Sarandon to "meddle" in other people's lives, to great advantage to these near strangers. This comic drama features J.K. Simmons as a possible romantic interest for her, and it is a pleasure to see Simmons make the most of this small role. GRADE----------B
The documentary DARK HORSE tells of a small group of townspeople in Wales who band together to purchase and raise a potential race horse, and against all odds, the horse actually has some degree of success. It's an emotional, low key affair, but the pleasure is getting to know the townspeople and the horse itself. GRADE--------- B
THE MAN WHO KNEW INFINITY feels somewhat like a documentary but it fictionalizes the story of a poor Indian student genius mathematician Ramanujan who travels to England to study with a another prominent professor Hardy in an effort to become published. Played by Dev Patel and Jeremy Irons, respectively, the film illustrates the prejudices and scholarly political struggles that Ramanujan must overcome, although the intellectual theories and discussions tend to go over the heads of most viewers. Still the film works on a basic emotional level, and is well mounted and photographed. GRADE--------B-
VIEWED ON DVD------
A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS (1966)---I'd never seen this Oscar winning historical film (including best picture, actor and script) and even though the the story of Thomas More's struggle against Henry VIII is familiar, this film kept me riveted even though it started at 10pm and I was tired. Especially fascinating is the performance of Paul Scofield. An excellent combination of history, drama, and techinical finesse. GRADE--------A
HOWL (2010)--An intriguing mixture of bio-pic, obscenity trial drama , and animated illustrations of the offending HOWL poem written by Allen Ginsburg. The fine actors include James Franco as Ginsberg, Jon Hamm, and David Strathairn. GRADE--------B+
IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT (1967)--I hadn't seen this film since it opened, but it holds up well, with great actors (Oscar winner Rod Steiger and Sidney Poitier) trying to solve a murder while dealing with blatant racial prejudice. The film creates a smoky, uneasy mood, and over all is well done, but the final reveal is awkwardly handled. GRADE--------B+
FORCE MAJOURE (2014)---French film has a young Swedish family vacationing at a luxury ski resort. Early on during a lunch break on a sunny deck, an avalanche heads toward the tourists. Excitement and thrills suddenly turn to terror as it looks like the avalanche will overwhelm the diners. When the avalanche clears, all is well, but the event affects the married couple's relationship, and the family structure begins to crumble. This comic drama features much food for thought, although the ending feels unresolved. GRADE----------B
CLOUDS OF SILS MARIA (2014)--Aging film star feels insecure about returning to a remake of the film that started her career, but this time playing the older character. The interesting Juliette Binoche gives it her all, and Kristen Stewart who plays her assistant is fascinating, as well. The drama feels realistic, but is quite talky, and may annoy people not into backstage drama and turmoil. GRADE------B
Monday, June 20, 2016
Final weekend SIFF --- MAYA ANGELOU AND STILL I RISE, HOLDING THE MAN, LOVE WITCH, ODDBALL, LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP plus FAVORITE SIFF FILMS------
Final weekend at SIFF ended with a bit of a whimper since I didn't have much left to see, but at least two of them were very good.
MAYA ANGELOU AND STILL I RISE--U.S.A.---Apparently the first documentary on the life and times of poet, actor, singer, dancer and novelist Maya Angelou, whose first novel I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS inspired countless writers to dig deep into their own experiences for naturalistic and truthful tales. This is everything that a good documentary should be---enlightening, informative and entertaining. Watch for this to show up on PBS in February. GRADE------A
HOLDING THE MAN--Australia--Superior technical production and stalwart group of Aussie actors including Kerry Fox, Guy Pierce and Anthony LaPaglia keep this intense dramatic love story, which starts when two young men begin college and stay together until the AIDS epidemic tears them apart 20 years later, fresh and focused and surprisingly unsentimental. Also helpful is an appropriated music score featuring top hits from the 1980's that follow this gay love story to it's sad ending--when Rufus Wainwright croons a recent new song near the end, there weren't too many dry eyes in the theatre. Based on the novel by one of the protagonists. GRADE----------B+
LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP---Ireland/France---Based on the Jane Austin novelette of letters about LADY SUSAN, this stylish film has been "fleshed out" by writer/director Whit Stillman into a mostly satisfying period picture with lovely costumes, magnificent set design, and many laughs. My main problem is that the dialogue is rapid fire and I missed many witty (I'm sure) lines that others seem to have understood. It will surely stand up to repeat viewings. GRADE-------B
ODDBALL---Australia--Another fine Aussie production, this "family" film features an enthusiastic dog who is trained to protect the small penguin community on a small island that foxes have been trying to decimate. Based on a true story, and set in and filmed in Victoria, Australia, this odd blend of comedy, drama, nature picture and wild animal antics is charming and unique. GRADE-----------B
THE LOBSTER--Ireland--The first feature I saw AFTER SIFF has got to be one of the most bizarre feature films I've seen in years. Set in another reality, people are required to live in pairs, and this hotel is set up to encourage such relationships. If a single person has NOT met their match within 45 days, then they are transformed into the animal of their choice. Veering wildly between comedy, drama and satire and science ficton, this film is certainly unique, but the deadpan humor and deadly consequences take away some of the possible fun. GRADE-----B
THE LOVE WITCH--U.S.A--The costumes and set design were colorful eye popping treats, but this campy story of a woman who "bewitches" men with her love potions and then they die gets long in the tooth very fast. If you can tolerate camp (perhaps at midnight, stoned or drunk) then you might enjoy this slim effort. This was a last minute addition to the schedule on the last Saturday, and it felt underwhelming. GRADE-------D+
VIEWED ON TV------------
HARVEY (1950)---U.S.A.--It has been over 20 years since I saw this filmed version of the Mary Chase play and I remember being a bit annoyed at the scenes where Jimmy Stewart is talking to his big invisible pooka (in this case a 6 foot tall white rabbit spirit). This time though his performance seemed so convincingly sweet that this didn't bother me at all. Best of all is the supporting case who play their roles with such clever and witty enthusiasm that they nearly steal the show from Stewart. Josephine Hull is so amusingly distracted by her brother's illusions that I laughed out loud a number of times--she won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for this part and clearly steals her scenes. The good news or the bad news.......apparently Steven Spielberg is going to direct a remake of HARVEY
and it could be ruined if the rabbit is actually shown.............. GRADE-----------B+
SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL RECAP!
MY FAVORITE SIFF FIMS--Fiction (alphabetical)
AMAMA: WHEN A TREE FALLS
BEING 17
THE BACCHUS LADY
INDIGNATION
THE INNOCENTS
LAST CAB TO DARWIN
PATHS OF THE SOUL
SCENT OF MANDARIN
SOUTHSIDE WITH YOU
SUMMERTIME
plus (alphabetical)
CLOSET MONSTER
COME WHAT MAY
DEMON
DON'T THINK TWICE
HOLDING THE MAN
HUNT FOR WILDERPEOPLE
HOW MOST THINGS WORK
LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP
A MAN CALLED OVE
MUSIC OF STRANGERS: YO YO MA AND SILK ROAD...
PEOPLE VS FRITZ BAUER
SANDSTORM
SLASH
SPY TIME
SPARROWS
THERAPY FOR A VAMPIRE
WHERE HAVE ALL THE GOOD MEN GONE
FAVORITE SIFF FILMS--Documentary
TOWER
MAYA ANGELOU AND STILL I RISE
LIFE, ANIMATED
WOMEN HE'S UNDRESSED
MIDSUMMER IN NEWTOWN
CONCERTO: BEETHOVEN JOURNEY
WEINER
FAVORITE GUILTY PLEASURES!!!!!
SCANDAL IN PARIS (revival)
DRAGON INN (revival)
SPY TIME
CARNAGE PARK
THE MIDDLE MAN
HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE
THE FINAL MASTER
REALLY DISLIKED
COMPLETE UNKNOWN
THE PRETTY ONES
MUCH LOVED
ZOOM
Two prominent themes were abundant this year at SIFF-----the first were films that featured DEATH and DYING as the major "activity" or plot of the film. These included (with ** meaning they were better than average):
BETWEEN LAND AND SEA**
BIG SONIA**
BRAND NEW TESTAMENT**
BURN BURN BURN**
CARNAGE PARK**
COCONUT HERO
THE COOP
THE GREASY STRANGLER
LAST CAB TO DARWIN**
MAMA**
THE MIDDLE MAN**
OTHER PEOPLE**
PAUL A QUEBEC**
TOWER**
TRUMAN**
YOU'LL NEVER BE ALONE
The other theme was the film that featured DOGS (and other animals) as key plot devices, including;
AMAMA: WHEN A TREE FALLS**
BELLE AND SEBASTIAN: ADVENTURE CONTINUES**
BRAND NEW TESTAMENT**(gorilla!)
FAMILY FILM**
THE FREE WORLD
HOW MOST THINGS WORK**
KEDI** (cats)
NEWS FROM PLANET MARS**
ODDBALL** (dog and penguins)
SCENT OF MADARIN**(horses)
TRUMAN**
OVERALL, I loved more than 85 films (out of 115) viewed this year, rating them a "B-" or better grade. There were only one dozen that I rated poor--the rest were average, and of course, you can find some film goers that would be happy to defend those that I rated poorly. For example, some films that I disliked---- DAWN, ALL THE BIRDS HAVE FLOWN SOUTH, COMPLETE UNKNOWN, THE GREASY STRANGLER, MUCH LOVED and ZOOM have many admirers!!!!!! I do not like agressive hand held camera work, and many of my average films got lowered ratings because of that, especially SANDSTORM which is a superior film in many other ways--I gave it a B but if it had been easier to watch it would deserve an A-........
I will try to note in my cinematicallyjeff blog when a film is opening theatrically. Some of the above SIFF films are already playing---LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP, WEINER, SUNSET SONG, CHEVALIER, THE FINAL MASTER are out NOW.
Promised soon for this summer are INDIGNATION, CHIMES AT MIDNIGHT, HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE, MUSIC OF STRANGERS, the popular (fan favorite SIFF Golden Space Needle award winner) CAPTAIN FANTASTIC, MAMA, TICKLED, LIFE ANIMATED, OUR KIND OF TRAITOR, DON'T THINK TWICE, CAFE SOCIETY and SOUTHSIDE WITH YOU (which imagines a first date 20 years ago with Barack and Michelle!). Release dates are always subject to change.
My personal favorites this year include: the shocking INDIGNATION, based on a Philip Roth novel and directed by James Shamus, a frequent Ang Lee collaborater, AMAMA: WHEN A TREE FALLS--a film set in Basque, about conflicts and changes at an old family run farm, TOWER--a stunning documentary done mainly in animation, but with film clips, interviews and news reels showing courage and bravery when a sniper takes over the University of Texas in 1967, THE INNOCENTS--a supersized CALL THE MIDWIFE type story about abused, inpregnated nuns near the end of WWII, SCENT OF MANDARIN--a melodramatic, nearly over the top French film about love between a handicapped man and his nurse during the Great War in the early 1900's, and MIDSUMMER AT NEWTOWN--a non political film that should be required viewing for every single politian who questions gun control issues in this country.
There were 187 voting FOOL SERIOUS (full series) pass holders this year (of which I am a member) and their favorite films were CAPTAIN FANTASTIC, OUR LITTLE SISTER, THE INNOCENTS, BATTLE OF SEVASTOPOL, A MAN CALLED OVE, SPY TIME, HOLDING THE MAN, 13 MINUTES, LAST CAB TO DARWIN, THE BACCHUS LADY, HUNT FOR WILDERPEOPLE, AMAMA: WHEN A TREE FALLS, BETWEEN SEA AND LAND, LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP and documentaries TOWER, MAYA ANGELOU, WOMEN HE'S UNDRESSED, THE WEEKEND SAILOR.
MAYA ANGELOU AND STILL I RISE--U.S.A.---Apparently the first documentary on the life and times of poet, actor, singer, dancer and novelist Maya Angelou, whose first novel I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS inspired countless writers to dig deep into their own experiences for naturalistic and truthful tales. This is everything that a good documentary should be---enlightening, informative and entertaining. Watch for this to show up on PBS in February. GRADE------A
HOLDING THE MAN--Australia--Superior technical production and stalwart group of Aussie actors including Kerry Fox, Guy Pierce and Anthony LaPaglia keep this intense dramatic love story, which starts when two young men begin college and stay together until the AIDS epidemic tears them apart 20 years later, fresh and focused and surprisingly unsentimental. Also helpful is an appropriated music score featuring top hits from the 1980's that follow this gay love story to it's sad ending--when Rufus Wainwright croons a recent new song near the end, there weren't too many dry eyes in the theatre. Based on the novel by one of the protagonists. GRADE----------B+
LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP---Ireland/France---Based on the Jane Austin novelette of letters about LADY SUSAN, this stylish film has been "fleshed out" by writer/director Whit Stillman into a mostly satisfying period picture with lovely costumes, magnificent set design, and many laughs. My main problem is that the dialogue is rapid fire and I missed many witty (I'm sure) lines that others seem to have understood. It will surely stand up to repeat viewings. GRADE-------B
ODDBALL---Australia--Another fine Aussie production, this "family" film features an enthusiastic dog who is trained to protect the small penguin community on a small island that foxes have been trying to decimate. Based on a true story, and set in and filmed in Victoria, Australia, this odd blend of comedy, drama, nature picture and wild animal antics is charming and unique. GRADE-----------B
THE LOBSTER--Ireland--The first feature I saw AFTER SIFF has got to be one of the most bizarre feature films I've seen in years. Set in another reality, people are required to live in pairs, and this hotel is set up to encourage such relationships. If a single person has NOT met their match within 45 days, then they are transformed into the animal of their choice. Veering wildly between comedy, drama and satire and science ficton, this film is certainly unique, but the deadpan humor and deadly consequences take away some of the possible fun. GRADE-----B
THE LOVE WITCH--U.S.A--The costumes and set design were colorful eye popping treats, but this campy story of a woman who "bewitches" men with her love potions and then they die gets long in the tooth very fast. If you can tolerate camp (perhaps at midnight, stoned or drunk) then you might enjoy this slim effort. This was a last minute addition to the schedule on the last Saturday, and it felt underwhelming. GRADE-------D+
VIEWED ON TV------------
HARVEY (1950)---U.S.A.--It has been over 20 years since I saw this filmed version of the Mary Chase play and I remember being a bit annoyed at the scenes where Jimmy Stewart is talking to his big invisible pooka (in this case a 6 foot tall white rabbit spirit). This time though his performance seemed so convincingly sweet that this didn't bother me at all. Best of all is the supporting case who play their roles with such clever and witty enthusiasm that they nearly steal the show from Stewart. Josephine Hull is so amusingly distracted by her brother's illusions that I laughed out loud a number of times--she won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for this part and clearly steals her scenes. The good news or the bad news.......apparently Steven Spielberg is going to direct a remake of HARVEY
and it could be ruined if the rabbit is actually shown.............. GRADE-----------B+
SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL RECAP!
MY FAVORITE SIFF FIMS--Fiction (alphabetical)
AMAMA: WHEN A TREE FALLS
BEING 17
THE BACCHUS LADY
INDIGNATION
THE INNOCENTS
LAST CAB TO DARWIN
PATHS OF THE SOUL
SCENT OF MANDARIN
SOUTHSIDE WITH YOU
SUMMERTIME
plus (alphabetical)
CLOSET MONSTER
COME WHAT MAY
DEMON
DON'T THINK TWICE
HOLDING THE MAN
HUNT FOR WILDERPEOPLE
HOW MOST THINGS WORK
LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP
A MAN CALLED OVE
MUSIC OF STRANGERS: YO YO MA AND SILK ROAD...
PEOPLE VS FRITZ BAUER
SANDSTORM
SLASH
SPY TIME
SPARROWS
THERAPY FOR A VAMPIRE
WHERE HAVE ALL THE GOOD MEN GONE
FAVORITE SIFF FILMS--Documentary
TOWER
MAYA ANGELOU AND STILL I RISE
LIFE, ANIMATED
WOMEN HE'S UNDRESSED
MIDSUMMER IN NEWTOWN
CONCERTO: BEETHOVEN JOURNEY
WEINER
FAVORITE GUILTY PLEASURES!!!!!
SCANDAL IN PARIS (revival)
DRAGON INN (revival)
SPY TIME
CARNAGE PARK
THE MIDDLE MAN
HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE
THE FINAL MASTER
REALLY DISLIKED
COMPLETE UNKNOWN
THE PRETTY ONES
MUCH LOVED
ZOOM
Two prominent themes were abundant this year at SIFF-----the first were films that featured DEATH and DYING as the major "activity" or plot of the film. These included (with ** meaning they were better than average):
BETWEEN LAND AND SEA**
BIG SONIA**
BRAND NEW TESTAMENT**
BURN BURN BURN**
CARNAGE PARK**
COCONUT HERO
THE COOP
THE GREASY STRANGLER
LAST CAB TO DARWIN**
MAMA**
THE MIDDLE MAN**
OTHER PEOPLE**
PAUL A QUEBEC**
TOWER**
TRUMAN**
YOU'LL NEVER BE ALONE
The other theme was the film that featured DOGS (and other animals) as key plot devices, including;
AMAMA: WHEN A TREE FALLS**
BELLE AND SEBASTIAN: ADVENTURE CONTINUES**
BRAND NEW TESTAMENT**(gorilla!)
FAMILY FILM**
THE FREE WORLD
HOW MOST THINGS WORK**
KEDI** (cats)
NEWS FROM PLANET MARS**
ODDBALL** (dog and penguins)
SCENT OF MADARIN**(horses)
TRUMAN**
OVERALL, I loved more than 85 films (out of 115) viewed this year, rating them a "B-" or better grade. There were only one dozen that I rated poor--the rest were average, and of course, you can find some film goers that would be happy to defend those that I rated poorly. For example, some films that I disliked---- DAWN, ALL THE BIRDS HAVE FLOWN SOUTH, COMPLETE UNKNOWN, THE GREASY STRANGLER, MUCH LOVED and ZOOM have many admirers!!!!!! I do not like agressive hand held camera work, and many of my average films got lowered ratings because of that, especially SANDSTORM which is a superior film in many other ways--I gave it a B but if it had been easier to watch it would deserve an A-........
I will try to note in my cinematicallyjeff blog when a film is opening theatrically. Some of the above SIFF films are already playing---LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP, WEINER, SUNSET SONG, CHEVALIER, THE FINAL MASTER are out NOW.
Promised soon for this summer are INDIGNATION, CHIMES AT MIDNIGHT, HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE, MUSIC OF STRANGERS, the popular (fan favorite SIFF Golden Space Needle award winner) CAPTAIN FANTASTIC, MAMA, TICKLED, LIFE ANIMATED, OUR KIND OF TRAITOR, DON'T THINK TWICE, CAFE SOCIETY and SOUTHSIDE WITH YOU (which imagines a first date 20 years ago with Barack and Michelle!). Release dates are always subject to change.
My personal favorites this year include: the shocking INDIGNATION, based on a Philip Roth novel and directed by James Shamus, a frequent Ang Lee collaborater, AMAMA: WHEN A TREE FALLS--a film set in Basque, about conflicts and changes at an old family run farm, TOWER--a stunning documentary done mainly in animation, but with film clips, interviews and news reels showing courage and bravery when a sniper takes over the University of Texas in 1967, THE INNOCENTS--a supersized CALL THE MIDWIFE type story about abused, inpregnated nuns near the end of WWII, SCENT OF MANDARIN--a melodramatic, nearly over the top French film about love between a handicapped man and his nurse during the Great War in the early 1900's, and MIDSUMMER AT NEWTOWN--a non political film that should be required viewing for every single politian who questions gun control issues in this country.
There were 187 voting FOOL SERIOUS (full series) pass holders this year (of which I am a member) and their favorite films were CAPTAIN FANTASTIC, OUR LITTLE SISTER, THE INNOCENTS, BATTLE OF SEVASTOPOL, A MAN CALLED OVE, SPY TIME, HOLDING THE MAN, 13 MINUTES, LAST CAB TO DARWIN, THE BACCHUS LADY, HUNT FOR WILDERPEOPLE, AMAMA: WHEN A TREE FALLS, BETWEEN SEA AND LAND, LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP and documentaries TOWER, MAYA ANGELOU, WOMEN HE'S UNDRESSED, THE WEEKEND SAILOR.
Saturday, June 11, 2016
SIFF SCREENINGS Wednesday June 8 through Friday June 10----TOP FILMS----BEING 17, SCENT OF MANDARIN, BACCHUS LADY, CHICKEN PEOPLE and King Hu's DRAGON INN (1967)
Here's what I viewed 8-10 June.....
SCENT OF MANDARIN---France---A bodice ripper set in the early 1900's has a nurse with an illegitimate daughter being hired by a one legged military officer--forced into retirement due to his injury. She has a feminist sensibility, and as their relationship grows, they finally decide to marry, with a major prenuptial agreement (sex on Tuesdays only!) and other restrictions. Scarred by war (she lost her lover and daughter's father to the Great War, too) the two manage to find some semblance of love and happiness while struggling through their personal demons. This film has "passion" as it's theme, along with humor, drama, suspense, infidelity and a sumptuous setting with great music and photography. GRADE------- A-
BEING 17---France---Marred only by some hand held camera segments in the first half hour, this splendid coming of age drama features two teen boys who cannot stand each other when they first meet, and spend most of the first year fighting, literaly, while being forced to share time together as one lives far from school in the country and his mother is frail with a pregnancy and in the hospital. His mother's doctor is the other teen's mother, so it is decided that both boys will live with her in the city. The doctor and her son must deal with the absence of their husband/father, away in the military. The tensions between the teens slowly melt, and as the old saying goes, there is a thin line between love and hate. This subtle, refreshingly honest and intelligent portrait seems to trandcend subject matter, and is one of the strongest films (visually and dramatically ) at SIFF this year. GRADE------A-
THE BACCHUS LADY---South Korea--Actress Youn Yuh-jung gives an heroic portrayal as a mature prostitute trying to make ends meet in her golden years. Along with her efforts to find a young boys mother, and taking care of her neighbors, she finds that along with sexual services, there is a growing need for another type of service among her older male clients, which she handles with respect and dignity. The final shot of the film is sadly shocking, a reminder that those living on the fringes of society, despite having lived a purposeful life, are doomed to lonliness and soon forgotten. GRADE------B+
DRAGON INN--Taiwan---1967---One of director King Hu's early successes as he combines fine storytelling with exciting martial arts sequences. This one doesn't depend so much on special efforts like flying through the air or gigantic leaps (although there is a bit of that by one character) but is more grounded in reality, and became for me a terrific entertainment. GRADE------B+
CHICKEN PEOPLE---U.S.A----An unlikely crowd pleaser, this documentry about chickens and the people who breed them with the hope of winning Best of Show awards at chicken competions, was informative and exciting and entertaining. Did you know that there are over 150 different types of chickens in the world, and many of them are gorgeous creatures. GRADE-------B
AWAITING--aka LA ADOPCION--Spain/Lithuania--A fine story of a Spanish couple who travel to Lithuania to adopt a healthy child, and are greeted along the way with missing baggage, changes to their wish list, corrupt and lying officials, language barriers, and personal stresses. Having been involved in the process, and knowing several couples who have gone through the experience, I can plainly state that this film hits the nail squarely on the head, although it could have used some artistic flourishes to put over the tensions, since it almost feels filmed like a documentary, which it is not. GRADE-----B
MIDDLEMAN---U.S.A.---We are in dark, comedic Coen brothers here---think BLOOD SIMPLE, FARGO and NO PLACE FOR OLD MEN, although I'd say Coen light would be more appropiate. A devoted middle aged son, his mother recently dead, takes to the road toward stand up heavan, specifically Las Vegas, but is detoured in a small town about 100 miles away, where he gets involved in murder, bodies, blood and horror. I enjoyed the (sometimes sick) humor and the plot is at times clever, although the pacing felt a bit slow, and the believability factor waivers from right on to no
way at times. GRADE-------B-
THE FITS---U.S.A.--Set in a community center, a young black teen age girl joins a dance group of older peers, but strangely, one by one, these girls come down with seisures while practicing, something like an epileptic fit. Poisoned water from the pipes is blamed, but the mystery remains. I enjoyed watching these frenetic dances, and the young lead is terrific, but the film feels under developed and the story is slight. GRADE-----------C+
THE COOP--Turkey--A woman with three children--one an infant--is diagnosed with tuberculosis and told she has not long to live, so she begs her husband to marry a healthy woman to raise her kids. He does so, but a few months later she recovers and comes back to live in the house, where naturally tensions arise between the two women. The film is OK but a bit underwhelming. GRADE----C+
ARIANNA--Italy---We are told at the beginning of this film that Arianna was "reborn" three times. First as a boy, then three years later as a girl, and another rebirth before turning 20. She is discovering that she is different from other girls, and uses this summer vacation (at a lovely summer home) to try sex, and ultimately learns about her body. Intersexuality is an important and interesting subject, but in this film, the discussions are oblique and the really important scenes like the medical discovery moment are NOT in the film. The viewer is left to ponder discussions that never take place, and we seem to already know what Arianna does not. Unfortunately, a bit of a bore. GRADE--------C
ALL THE BIRDS HAVE FLOWN SOUTH---U.S.A---If you see the trailer for this film, you will have seen the whole film. A peeping Tom pervert fantasizes about a white trash, drug addicted, married waitress, and insinuates himself into their lives. The film is unpleasant to watch, partly because there is no one to root for, and partly because the characters themselves are so disgusting--the sick husband is abusive, and has weeping sores on his feet. The wife snuffs drugs in every other scene, then snuffs her nose continuously in other scenes. Camera work and actors are fine, but ----Yuck. GRADE-----------D+
DAWN--Stunning black and white photography and creative camera tricks cannot save this chaotic, hysterical story of a young boy who turns in his father for murdering his mother. Sound good? The first 30 minutes consists of a constantly screaming baby in the back ground, the drunken father smashing all the dishes in the commune, beating his housemates and son, and then there is a lot of running and screaming through fields, into mud, climbing mountains, all the while screaming slogans denouncing communism, praising the "collective farm commune" about a dozen times, and there are literly hundreds of people in these scenes, running and screaming every which way. At that point I fled the theatre for some sunshine. GRADE-------D
MUCH LOVED--Morocco/France--A group of whining prostitutes live together and complain about sex, men, clients, and life. Most of the men in the film are brutal abusers and pigs, yet these women continue to service them at drug induces parties and on the street. There is no hope, answers, enlightenment or solutions here. Worst of all is the continuous and obnixous hand held camera work that is miserable to watch. GRADE-------D
SCENT OF MANDARIN---France---A bodice ripper set in the early 1900's has a nurse with an illegitimate daughter being hired by a one legged military officer--forced into retirement due to his injury. She has a feminist sensibility, and as their relationship grows, they finally decide to marry, with a major prenuptial agreement (sex on Tuesdays only!) and other restrictions. Scarred by war (she lost her lover and daughter's father to the Great War, too) the two manage to find some semblance of love and happiness while struggling through their personal demons. This film has "passion" as it's theme, along with humor, drama, suspense, infidelity and a sumptuous setting with great music and photography. GRADE------- A-
BEING 17---France---Marred only by some hand held camera segments in the first half hour, this splendid coming of age drama features two teen boys who cannot stand each other when they first meet, and spend most of the first year fighting, literaly, while being forced to share time together as one lives far from school in the country and his mother is frail with a pregnancy and in the hospital. His mother's doctor is the other teen's mother, so it is decided that both boys will live with her in the city. The doctor and her son must deal with the absence of their husband/father, away in the military. The tensions between the teens slowly melt, and as the old saying goes, there is a thin line between love and hate. This subtle, refreshingly honest and intelligent portrait seems to trandcend subject matter, and is one of the strongest films (visually and dramatically ) at SIFF this year. GRADE------A-
THE BACCHUS LADY---South Korea--Actress Youn Yuh-jung gives an heroic portrayal as a mature prostitute trying to make ends meet in her golden years. Along with her efforts to find a young boys mother, and taking care of her neighbors, she finds that along with sexual services, there is a growing need for another type of service among her older male clients, which she handles with respect and dignity. The final shot of the film is sadly shocking, a reminder that those living on the fringes of society, despite having lived a purposeful life, are doomed to lonliness and soon forgotten. GRADE------B+
DRAGON INN--Taiwan---1967---One of director King Hu's early successes as he combines fine storytelling with exciting martial arts sequences. This one doesn't depend so much on special efforts like flying through the air or gigantic leaps (although there is a bit of that by one character) but is more grounded in reality, and became for me a terrific entertainment. GRADE------B+
CHICKEN PEOPLE---U.S.A----An unlikely crowd pleaser, this documentry about chickens and the people who breed them with the hope of winning Best of Show awards at chicken competions, was informative and exciting and entertaining. Did you know that there are over 150 different types of chickens in the world, and many of them are gorgeous creatures. GRADE-------B
AWAITING--aka LA ADOPCION--Spain/Lithuania--A fine story of a Spanish couple who travel to Lithuania to adopt a healthy child, and are greeted along the way with missing baggage, changes to their wish list, corrupt and lying officials, language barriers, and personal stresses. Having been involved in the process, and knowing several couples who have gone through the experience, I can plainly state that this film hits the nail squarely on the head, although it could have used some artistic flourishes to put over the tensions, since it almost feels filmed like a documentary, which it is not. GRADE-----B
MIDDLEMAN---U.S.A.---We are in dark, comedic Coen brothers here---think BLOOD SIMPLE, FARGO and NO PLACE FOR OLD MEN, although I'd say Coen light would be more appropiate. A devoted middle aged son, his mother recently dead, takes to the road toward stand up heavan, specifically Las Vegas, but is detoured in a small town about 100 miles away, where he gets involved in murder, bodies, blood and horror. I enjoyed the (sometimes sick) humor and the plot is at times clever, although the pacing felt a bit slow, and the believability factor waivers from right on to no
way at times. GRADE-------B-
THE FITS---U.S.A.--Set in a community center, a young black teen age girl joins a dance group of older peers, but strangely, one by one, these girls come down with seisures while practicing, something like an epileptic fit. Poisoned water from the pipes is blamed, but the mystery remains. I enjoyed watching these frenetic dances, and the young lead is terrific, but the film feels under developed and the story is slight. GRADE-----------C+
THE COOP--Turkey--A woman with three children--one an infant--is diagnosed with tuberculosis and told she has not long to live, so she begs her husband to marry a healthy woman to raise her kids. He does so, but a few months later she recovers and comes back to live in the house, where naturally tensions arise between the two women. The film is OK but a bit underwhelming. GRADE----C+
ARIANNA--Italy---We are told at the beginning of this film that Arianna was "reborn" three times. First as a boy, then three years later as a girl, and another rebirth before turning 20. She is discovering that she is different from other girls, and uses this summer vacation (at a lovely summer home) to try sex, and ultimately learns about her body. Intersexuality is an important and interesting subject, but in this film, the discussions are oblique and the really important scenes like the medical discovery moment are NOT in the film. The viewer is left to ponder discussions that never take place, and we seem to already know what Arianna does not. Unfortunately, a bit of a bore. GRADE--------C
ALL THE BIRDS HAVE FLOWN SOUTH---U.S.A---If you see the trailer for this film, you will have seen the whole film. A peeping Tom pervert fantasizes about a white trash, drug addicted, married waitress, and insinuates himself into their lives. The film is unpleasant to watch, partly because there is no one to root for, and partly because the characters themselves are so disgusting--the sick husband is abusive, and has weeping sores on his feet. The wife snuffs drugs in every other scene, then snuffs her nose continuously in other scenes. Camera work and actors are fine, but ----Yuck. GRADE-----------D+
DAWN--Stunning black and white photography and creative camera tricks cannot save this chaotic, hysterical story of a young boy who turns in his father for murdering his mother. Sound good? The first 30 minutes consists of a constantly screaming baby in the back ground, the drunken father smashing all the dishes in the commune, beating his housemates and son, and then there is a lot of running and screaming through fields, into mud, climbing mountains, all the while screaming slogans denouncing communism, praising the "collective farm commune" about a dozen times, and there are literly hundreds of people in these scenes, running and screaming every which way. At that point I fled the theatre for some sunshine. GRADE-------D
MUCH LOVED--Morocco/France--A group of whining prostitutes live together and complain about sex, men, clients, and life. Most of the men in the film are brutal abusers and pigs, yet these women continue to service them at drug induces parties and on the street. There is no hope, answers, enlightenment or solutions here. Worst of all is the continuous and obnixous hand held camera work that is miserable to watch. GRADE-------D
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