Frances Ha

Frances Ha is a black and white indie film from 2012. I had heard about it when Greta Gerwig, who plays the main character of Frances, was nominated for Best Actress at the Golden Globes. Although she lost to Amy Adams for American Hustle that year, I remembered how intrigued I was by the trailer about a young woman looking to make it as a dancer in New York City. I enjoy all things dance, so when it came to streaming Netflix, I decided that now was the time to watch.

Frances (Greta Gerwig) lives with her BFF Sophie (Mickey Sumner) in New York City. Frances is struggling. With finances, relationships, with her dance career. Not quite as talented as, for example, Rachel (Grace Gummer), another dancer in her company, Frances is passed over and not given the roles in significant productions that she used to dance. She is, however, a great teacher to little kids learning how to plie and pirouette in ballet class. She seems to have a knack for choreography as well.

Impulsive to a fault, she charges a very short trip to Paris, and finds herself without many resources available to her when she returns. She spends time with her family in Sacramento, a brief interlude I enjoyed. The scenes of her family celebrating at a Unitarian Universalist (UU) church were especially fun to watch as they are my chosen spiritual community, and I have never seen a UU church depicted on screen. I found it refreshing and a good fit with the character and her passions. (Greta was raised Unitarian Universalist, so that explains the inclusion of the affirming and uplifting scenes in church with her spiritual community.)

Adam Driver appears as Lev, one of Frances’ roommates, but other than Adam, I didn’t recognize anyone else in the ensemble cast. The story is all about Frances coming to terms with her strengths and weaknesses, making some choices, and ultimately coming through to a better place than she was when we met her at her first address.

The screenplay was written by director Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig, whom I read are a couple. Noah and Greta developed a really engaging film in Frances Ha.

The film has a Woody Allen-ish feel to it due to the black and white cinematography, and the quickly fired dialogue, reminding me of Woody’s Manhattan. The dialogue was great, very witty, and natural at the same time. The story feels real, almost like it could be a documentary following the moves and travels of Frances as she attempts to navigate her life. 

I like indie films; they don’t subscribe to the Hollywood formulas as much, have more of a real feel to them, and often use up and coming talent. An indie film is simply original and creative story-telling by independent filmmakers. For a closer look at indie films, read this article: What exactly is an independent film? And then go spend 90 minutes or so with Frances Ha.

The Nanny Diaries

In search of some light entertainment, I hit upon The Nanny Diaries from back in 2007. The film stars Scarlett Johansson as a smart young woman taking some time off from her life post college to work as a nanny for a family in Manhattan.

I was intrigued by the opening, which featured scenes ostensibly taken from the American Museum of Natural History. Various life size dioramas show families throughout history. This sets the scene for a comedy right off the bat. Annie Braddock (Scarlett Johansson) majored in anthropology, and sees this stint as a nanny as research, or at least that is how the movie progresses, her reflections as an anthropologist peppering the story line.

Mrs. X (Laura Linney) and Mr. X (Paul Giamatti) are a couple clearly not suited to each other. They have one son, Grayer (Nicholas Art), whom Annie quickly becomes attached to as she works day in and day out as his nanny. There is a little romance for Annie in the person of a young man referred to as Harvard Hottie (Chris Evans), who is a tenant in the building where Annie works.

Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus, both former nannies, wrote the novel The Nanny Diaries that I have not read. It must be a scathing tale on the escapades of the very rich who farm out their kids to other people to raise.

I never could understand why a woman would choose to have a baby and then just turn it over to someone else to raise. Lots of cultures apparently do this, some out of necessity, as the mother needs to work outside the home for income, but others because they apparently have “better” things to do with their time than mind their own children.

Mrs. X is the latter, and it is not flattering. Paul Giamatti as her husband has nothing redeeming about him physically, or as husband material. The only one who seems to have it together is Annie. A caring, smart woman, who becomes so attached to Grayer that she cannot quit even when she finds that her life is no longer her own.

The Nanny Diaries reminded me of The Help in some ways. They are both peeks into two different cultures that give their children to others to be cared for. The Help was excellent in portraying the culture of African-American nannies caring for white children in the Deep South, who were probably even more taken for granted and underpaid than Annie appears to be.

I wonder about the book the screenplay was based on, and may look it up. I hope it is in the same format, kind of like a thesis on the phenomenon of child rearing among the upper class.

The film is rated PG-13 for language. And goes along with lots of comedy in between some really touching moments between Annie and Grayer. It’s a good film for some evening when you just want to relax, laugh, and not think about anything too serious.

Yes Man

Recently I watched Yes Man, a 2008 comedy starring Jim Carrey. I am a fan of Jim’s; I love the way he can screw up his face in so many truly bizarre ways. His antics always make me laugh. This film was no exception. Yes Man is rated PG-13 for crude sexual humor, language and brief nudity. Sometimes I don’t agree with the ratings, but I do for this one. It has adult content in it, but not enough to warrant an R rating.

Carl Allen (Jim Carrey) is a depressed divorced guy who works as a loan officer in a bank. His friends, including Peter (Bradley Cooper), try to get him out of being in a funk, to no avail. Carl turns himself around though when he goes with a friend to a motivational lecture by a guru like teacher, Terrence (Terrence Stamp). Terrence publicly confronts Carl during his talk, and challenges him to say yes to everything presented to him. Carl begins to follow this directive. It got me thinking about another film of Jim’s, Liar Liar, where the main character cannot tell a lie. Both involve rigid ways of relating in the world, seemingly impossible to carry out.

But Carl keeps saying yes, and the results are surprising, kind of crazy (watch out for his neighbor lady), and ultimately results in his meeting the breath of springtime air he longs for in the free spirit of Allison (Zooey Deschanel). Their age difference is a bit much, 18 years to be exact (they share the same birthday), but somehow the love interest between them works. Allison is a singer in a funky band and has her own quirky way of approaching the world that Carl finds attractive.

Eventually, as might be expected, saying yes to everything without weighing the consequences can bring trouble, and it does. I really applaud the creativity of the screenwriters for their inventiveness in the situations that Carl finds himself in. I recommend this film. It kept me laughing all the way through.

I enjoyed seeing Zooey Deschanel in Yes Man, having seen her previously in Elf and in (500) Days of Summer. She is lovely, good at playing offbeat characters, and has a very nice singing voice.

Jim won two Best Actor Golden Globes for his performances in The Truman Show and Man on the Moon. I recall his acceptance speech for the second one where he commented that now he’s the Tom Hanks of the Golden Globes (Tom won two Oscars for best actor for Philadelphia and Forrest Gump).

My favorite Jim Carrey film, however, is The Majestic. If you haven’t seen it, you may be amazed at how good he is at playing it straight. His career is known for his physical comedy and outrageous faces, but in The Majestic, he shines as a fictional screenwriter in Hollywood during the McCarthy era. An inspiring, and touching film, I highly recommend it, along with the other films I mentioned in this review.

Room

Brie Larson was the best actress winner in the 2016 Academy Award race for her performance in Room.  She also won a Golden Globe, among other awards, for her greatly nuanced performance. Room was based on the best selling novel by Emma Donoghue. She also penned the screenplay.

I was a bit worried about what I’d have to endure in watching this film. It was rated R (turns out just for language), and I knew it was about a teen that was abducted, raped and gave birth to a son while in captivity. I also knew they had escaped. Other than that, I didn’t know much.

Thankfully, the gruesome details of what Joy (Brie Larson) endured when first kidnapped were not in the film. The perpetrator, referred to as Old Nick (Sean Bridgers), shows up briefly to give us hints about what Joy’s life was like during the seven or so years she was locked up in his shed, but the film focuses much more on Joy and her son Jack (Jacob Tremblay). Jack, now five years old, is old enough now that Joy believes they can successfully execute an escape. She sets into motion occurrences that ultimately lead to their release from captivity.

Once back in her childhood home, it’s not just mother and child that must adjust to the world, it’s also Joy’s parents (Joan Allen and William H. Macy) who have to come to terms with what happened to their little girl stolen from them at the age of 17. Joy and Jack get the therapy they need to recover, and her parents do better, and worse, with the sudden return of not just their daughter, but a grandson too. Not just any grandson, but one conceived by rape.

The chemistry between Brie and Jacob is great. I can’t imagine anyone else playing the inquisitive and brave Jack. The nuances of their relationship were believable, as was Joy’s meltdown after her escape. The strangeness of the world for Jack is artfully filmed, and their existence in a tin shed, how they interact and what they do daily, just serves to lay the groundwork for their eventual escape.

The media descended upon the two like the vultures they are, and I was reminded of the notorious instance of abduction and captivity of three young girls in Cleveland not that long ago. I wondered if the author got the idea for her fictional book from that incident. If so, she did a good job keeping the story focused on just enough details to let us see snippets of their life together in room, and then with Joy’s mother. Not too much detail, just enough to show us how they healed.

I recommend this film to anyone interested in the resiliency of the human spirit. Don’t worry about having to watch horrible scenes of abuse. This film instead focuses on the relationship between mother and child, the love that sustained them, and that sees them through to the other side of Room.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2

It’s been a long time coming. Finally, a sequel to the ever-popular breakout film My Big Fat Greek Wedding written by Nia Vardalos. This film that came out in 2002 was a little sleeper that was not really expected to be a big money maker. Much to the delight I’m sure of the famous couple of Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, who were two of the producers of the film, it did very well, grossing over $222,000,000 by the end of the year it was released! Proving that a quality story and good actors can make a classic film for all time, and that word of mouth really works to draw people into the theater.

Nia Vardalos is a comedienne who wrote a great screenplay about her Greek family. Also starring in the film with Nia is easy on the eyes John Corbett (Northern Exposure, Sex and the City), and these two ended the first film in wedded bliss.

I like that Nia did not immediately do a sequel. She let time pass and developed a really great screenplay in My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2. Toula (Nia Vardalos) and Ian (John Corbett) have a 17-year old daughter, Paris (Elena Kampouris), and she hates all things Greek, which is primarily her embarrassing extended family. She’s on the verge of leaving the nest empty for her parents when she goes away to college.

Meanwhile, Toula’s parents, played by Michael Constantine and Lainie Kazan, discover they were never officially married, and this causes much distress for them, leading to another wedding to be planned and executed. Lainie Kazan is perfect as Toula’s vibrant mother Maria, and her Aunt Voula (Andrea Martin) is back, never mincing words whether she’s advising Toula, Ian or Maria on the ways of love.

While the world may have changed in 17 years, some things about being Greek apparently never do. Is Gus really descended from Alexander the Great? Does everything in the modern world really stem from early beginnings in Greece?

We get to look in on Toula and Ian’s marriage as they navigate “middle-age” together. The sweet Ian remains tolerant of his Greek in-laws, as well as Toula’s over-protective focus on their daughter. There’s just enough memories and call backs to the first film to make it memorable all over again, although I think if you hadn’t seen the first, you’d still enjoy this film. It could stand very well on its own.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding II is rated PG-13 for some suggestive material. I thought it would be just another chick flick, but there was lots of laughter from the other people in the theater, and one man present was really guffawing. It is a feel good movie about the connections we make between family, spouses, and even friends. There should be more films made like this one.

I discovered that Nia Vardalos also co-wrote the screenplay for Larry Crowne with Tom Hanks, a cute little film you should check out if you haven’t already.

Purple Rain

Prince Rogers Nelson passed away on 4/21/16 at age 57, and I mourned along with the world. As therapy perhaps, I just had to watch Purple Rain again. Immediately after seeing it in the theater back in 1984, I bought the album, and later, after selling all my albums, I replaced it with a CD. Prince and the Revolution, Purple Rain, will always be in my collection of music.

The film is rated R for sexuality, some nudity, language, and some violent content. The film is said to be quasi-biographical about Prince, who plays a musician named simply “The Kid”.

I liked Purple Rain then and I liked watching it now. I enjoyed seeing Prince perform again. His raw energy astounds me; the passion with which he delivers his songs is just intense. The era that the film was made was one of changing identities for men and women in the music scene. It is visually stunning in terms of sets and makeup. The story moves along fairly well too. A nice mix of intense drama and sometimes ridiculous comedy, often supplied by Morris Day and the Time, a rival band to Prince’s crew.

One of the film’s subplots deals with domestic violence. The Kid’s parents have an abusive relationship, and his father is played by Clarence Williams III of Mod Squad fame, who’s had a long career in film. The Kid’s father has broken dreams, never got a break in life where his creativity would be recognized, and when The Kid realizes this, it changes him. He has an awakening and transforms. It’s a very satisfying story in that sense.

Some criticisms of the film from other reviewers included that Apollonia and the girl group Morris Day set her up in were horrible. I agree that the song they performed, Sex Shooter, was awful. In fact, that song was nominated for a Razzie award for worst original song that year. But I would argue that Prince wrote it to be awful. (You’ll notice Sex Shooter is not on the Purple Rain CD, for good reason.)

Apollonia was selling herself short joining that little trio, and that horrible song fit in perfectly with the plot. As did all of his other exceptional songs in the film. If you look at what a good musical should project in its musical numbers, every song should tell a story and move the action along.

Prince received an Academy Award for Best Original Song Score, the last award given out in this category (no films have met the qualifications to even be nominated in the category since then).

Here is a link to the announcement of Prince’s win at the Academy Awards, and his brief acceptance speech with Wendy and Lisa accompanying him:  Prince accepts Academy Award

Watch Purple Rain again if you haven’t seen it in years, and if you’ve never seen it, watch it for the classic film it now is, and to see Prince’s musical genius. You will always be missed, Prince.

The Out-of-Towners

The Out-of-Towners is a remake of the 1970 Neil Simon comedy that originally starred Jack Lemmon and Sandy Dennis. This remake from 1999 stars Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn as two empty nesters searching for a way to redefine their relationship. The film is rated PG-13 for some sex and drug-related humor.

Henry and Nancy Clark (Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn) live in relatively small town Ohio, and are definitely not big city types. Their home now bereft of children, when Henry gets a job interview in New York City, Nancy follows him. Her presence leads from one comical situation to another as their trip to the Big Apple unravels.

Steve and Goldie are such fine comedic actors that there are many, many laugh out loud moments in this film. Plus, you get to see New York through their eyes as they experience it for better or worse. Some scenes are pure slapstick, and the film is timeless in that any empty nester could relate to the thoughts and feelings they’re having as they redefine their lives without their children.

At one point they stumble in on a group therapy meeting by accident, and none other than Cynthia Nixon, of Sex and the City fame, plays one of the group members. In her short time on screen, she plays the sultry, sexual woman that she embodied so well as Miranda Hobbs in SATC. I could see exactly why she was selected for one of the best HBO series of all time.

One of the reasons for enjoying this film so much is Steve Martin. He is one of my favorite comedians. His facial expressions are so expressive, his smile spreading like the Cheshire cat. He is especially funny when he accidently gets high, much to his wife’s chagrin. Goldie is beautiful and plays off of Steve’s shenanigans in her unique style. Goldie justifiably won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1969 for her role in Cactus Flower. And as for Steve Martin, his career achievements are just too many to list, but my personal favorite is All of Me with Lily Tomlin.

Goldie’s real life son, Oliver Hudson, has a small role playing the Clarks’ son Alan. John Cleese appears as Mr. Mersault, a pompous hotel manager I couldn’t see being played by anyone else.

Neil Simon has written an honest portrayal of a couple going through big changes and how overcoming adversity serves to bring them together again. The craziness that the couple encounters in their travels in NYC are nonstop, and I can only imagine what fun he had writing the screenplay. He is an accomplished and awarded writer, in television (The Odd Couple), on Broadway (Biloxi Blues) and in films (The Goodbye Girl), not to mention having won the Pulitzer Prize for Lost in Yonkers.  

I came across this film on streaming Netflix one night, and was glad we chose it. If you’re looking for a light, funny, classic comedy, this would be a good choice.

Where to Invade Next

I’ve been following Michael Moore’s career since 1989 when he released his breakout documentary, Roger & Me, which incidentally was one of film critic Roger Ebert’s favorites. Michael Moore won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2002 for Bowling for Columbine. He’s an accomplished writer, director, and producer, and someone conservatives love to hate.

We’ve waited six years for this, his most recent film, Where to Invade Next. It is rated R for language, some violent images, drug use and brief graphic nudity.

Michael has created another strong documentary feature, this time “invading” other countries to see what Americans can learn from them. I found this concept refreshing, as it focused on what other individuals and governments on the planet are doing right. It’s ultimately a hopeful film.

He utilizes his trademark humor much of the time. He had to use humor to balance out certain segments that were downright heartbreaking.

He admits early on that he is looking to pick the flowers, not the weeds, the things that are working and which set an example for excellence. Some critics have skewered him for this, saying it’s complicated; he’s ignoring the things that aren’t working, blah, blah, blah. Again, he said very clearly that he’s picking the flowers! Save the criticism for some other time. A film is not going to work or be cohesive if it’s not focused. Michael is focused.

And the examples he shows are astounding! He visits Europe, Scandinavia, and Africa, interviewing businessmen and women, political leaders, government officials and regular people. Children too.

You will see how Italy treats its employees, what France serves schoolchildren for lunch, and how Finland has the best educational system in the world.

Portugal was noted for decriminalization of drugs, Norway for the unique way they treat their prisoners, and Germany for the way they heal from the sins of their fathers in the holocaust (truly tear jerking, that segment).

Slovenia provides free college education, not just to citizens, but to foreigners as well. Tunisia is a leader in women’s rights, as is Iceland, who actually prosecuted and sent to prison those responsible for the financial corruption of the banks.

This film is one of the best Michael Moore has done. I attended the movie with three others and afterwards over dinner we asked each other, “If there was one idea from another country that we would like to see initiated in America, what would it be?” We each selected a different country’s example, showing that we are individuals with unique concerns for the welfare of individuals in our country. That was encouraging.

Because if everyone who saw this film asked themselves, “What is the one thing that spoke to me?” and then told others, started a discussion of what could be, and what steps would need to be taken to create this change, our country would be going in a positive direction.

I especially ask WOMEN to see this film. You’ll see why. Be inspired.

Mamma Mia! The Movie

Mamma Mia! I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing this musical on stage yet and have always wanted to. I know it’s still playing around the country in live theaters. When my sister said let’s watch the movie, I said yes! The music is all ABBA, a great Swedish group from the 1970’s. It stars Meryl Streep as Donna, the woman who had trysts with three different men one summer resulting in daughter Sophie (Amanda Seyfried). In the film Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgard play her past loves. The film is rated PG-13 for some sex-related comments.

Sophie wants to know who her father is and after finding an old diary of her mother’s, sends letters inviting each of the suspects to her wedding, signing the letters as from Donna.

This makes for good comedy. Also in attendance are Sophie’s two best friends, and Donna’s BFFs as well. This is a high-energy film, not in the way of car chases and crash scenes, but in dancing and lots of movement. I found myself thinking about how every movement is exaggerated on stage in a musical. In the theater, this is vital as the actors are projecting to a large audience, some of whom are not going to be able to see them that well. In the film, it’s just annoying. Subtlety plays well in a film, probably because facial expressions can be seen clearly and so exaggeration is not necessary.

On the one hand, I enjoyed the setting, it being Greece, the blue ocean, the sun, the sand, lots of opportunity for water sports, swimsuits and fun. But I found myself thinking I’d rather see this performed on stage. The most recent live performance I attended was Legally Blonde:  The Musical. The film Legally Blonde (2001) is one of my favorites, and so when I heard this was a production at the Albuquerque Little Theater, I jumped on it. Two of my friends accompanied me, and we had a fantastic time. The important thing I found through attending that show, and now reflecting on Mamma Mia! The Movie is that a musical is meant to be on stage, and not shown as a movie. Legally Blonde: The Musical was created in 2007, after the non-musical film had endeared Elle Woods to us all. Unlike Mamma Mia! which was I assume filmed directly as how it would progress on stage.

I recommend you see the musical Mamma Mia! as live theater. I don’t recommend this movie. Maybe I’d feel differently about it if I had already seen the live production, but I think it would have played better if the film had just dropped the music altogether and become a comedy.

I recommend another film featuring ABBA’s music, Muriel’s Wedding. It stars Toni Collette and Rachel Griffiths. And a more recent film I have reviewed on this blog is Love Is All You Need. Also starring Pierce Brosnan, it has a wedding theme, and takes place on the beautiful coast of Italy.

Frozen

Let It Go

It appears I am reviewing films having a theme of music lately. This is a bit of an accident, although a happy one.

This review is of Frozen, a Disney produced film from 2013 that won the Academy Award for Best Animated feature film. The screenplay is based on the Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen’s tale of The Snow Queen. I enjoy animation and the amazing fantasy and images it can create. I heard that the fjords of Scandinavia served as inspiration for the setting of Frozen, and intrigued, popped it in my DVD player.

Initially I thought the story would be about Queen Elsa (voice of Idina Menzel) who has a power that she has not yet learned to control; everything she touches turns to ice. But the story turned out to be more about her younger sister Anna (voice of Kristen Bell). It’s more a story about sisters than a romance, although there are a couple of love interests.

The visual imagery of the snow, ice and snowflakes is what really makes this film stunning. Frozen also won an Academy Award for Best Original Song, Let It Go. Queen Elsa sings this song after she flees the kingdom of Arendelle, unable to control her powers. She likes the cold and snow. I like snow. I miss it here in Albuquerque. We may live in the shadow of the Sandia Mountains, but this is also desert, and the desert climate often wins out over the mountain snow.

So I really enjoyed seeing the beautiful, wintry, snowy landscapes that Elsa creates. As she matured, she continued to hide her powers from the world until she could no longer do so. I noted that at a crucial turning point, her icy powers made the world winter, and this only occurred when acting out of fear.

Her sister Anna is a young, naïve girl. They have both lived locked up in a castle for most of their lives, and she does not remember that her older sister has powers. After Elsa runs off, Anna goes searching for her and encounters along the way a young man named Kristoff and his reindeer Sven. They team up on Anna’s mission to find Elsa, and meet a snowman, Olaf. Meanwhile, her suitor back at the castle waits for her return.

All is not what it seems, and by the end of the film, both women have had a transformation. I liked the message that is sent to young fans of the film that love is what is important, and that it is a power that cannot be stopped. Elsa overcomes her fear, finally bringing under control her special gift through the power of love.

The film is rated PG for some action and mild rude humor. It was a different sort of princess film than most. It was more about finding one’s own personal strength and gifts and less about finding the right man. This was refreshing and I recommend it for young and old alike.

Love & Mercy

Love & Mercy, a film from 2015, is the story of Brian Wilson, the gifted musician behind much of the Beach Boys best music. I was curious to know his story, having heard that a struggle with mental illness had impacted his life significantly. I had also heard that his father was severely abusive to his sons, and this fact was in the film as well, heart wrenching to watch. It is rated PG-13 for thematic elements, drug content, and language.

The story of Brian’s life is shown by transporting us back and forth between two significant periods in his life, during the 1980’s, and in the 1960’s. Two actors portray Brian in the film to show these time periods. John Cusack is Brian in the 80’s, and Paul Dano the younger Brian in the 60’s. Paul Dano has been featured in such films as Little Miss Sunshine, and There Will Be Blood, and he does a fantastic job; even his singing sounds like Brian’s and you forget it’s not really Brian. He was nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance in this film.

John Cusack (if you don’t know who he is, you must not watch many movies) is convincing as the older Brian who struggles with the voices in his head, the label of paranoid schizophrenic, and the loneliness that he lives with daily. Paul Giamatti (Sideways) plays the psychologist, Dr. Eugene Landy, who effectively isolated Brian from his family and any normalcy in his life, and he is one scary dude.

Brian meets Melinda Ledbetter (Elizabeth Banks) in a car dealership, and begins to have a relationship with her. This must have been destiny as Dr. Landy controls every aspect of his life, and interferes with their developing relationship. I felt that Melinda must have been one strong woman to see beneath the struggles of Brian to connect with the sensitive soul within, while enduring the constant intrusions of Dr. Landy.

I also really enjoyed the lengthy scenes of Brian with his studio musicians creating such innovative songs as Good Vibrations, probably their most well known hit. I was intrigued by the perseverance it took to record, the musicians never depicted as losing their cool with an eccentric and perfectionist Brian.

The features on the DVD offered behind the scenes looks into making the film and were quite fascinating. I enjoy seeing how a movie is made, and it shed even more light onto Brian and Melinda as they appeared in the interviews in the features section also.

I was reminded hearing these Beach Boys songs of how romantic many of them were. The way we get to see the songs take form serves to emphasize the lyrics. Brian is a very sensitive soul, and it really made me appreciate even more the magic of connection between lovers that he sung about.

I highly recommend this film. It’s a compassionate look at a genius with a touch of madness that gave us some deeply beautiful music.

Sing Street

Sing Street trailer

I’m a member of the Regal Crown Club, one of those many rewards programs where you get free movie tickets or popcorn after so many points accrued. Recently, they have been inviting me to attend special screenings of films a few days prior to their official release. So it was I went to see Sing Street last week, an Irish film by John Carney, the force behind the well loved movie Once.

The story takes place in the 1980’s, when the music was all about such innovators as Duran Duran, Ah-Ha and The Cure, along with the advent of the music video. I liked the music of the 80’s, when MTV was getting a foothold and video paired with music first caught on.

Prior to attending the movie, I played the trailer and was leery of the plot. A 15-year-old teen decides to form a band in order to impress a 16-year-old girl. This plot device is one I’ve seen in other films, most notably in Love Actually, and in a similar vein in About a Boy. So I was skeptical that this would be an old worn out plot.

But to my delight, this film rocked! It worked right from the beginning. The characters were well developed, the story engaging, and the music was fabulous. I especially liked the song Drive It Like You Stole It. The movie is often funny, a bit heart wrenching in places, and their tribute to prom night ala Back to the Future, that classic 80’s film, was great.

Synge Street is the name of a school in Dublin, thus the film’s name Sing Street. Cosmo (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) is enamored with Raphina (Lucy Boynton), and when he asks her to be in a video, hastily goes about finding other boys to form a band. Cosmo’s older brother Brendan (Jack Reynor) schools him in contemporary music. Cosmo takes it all to heart, and they come up with a unique sound. The band members each add individual flavor to the film, and work well together. How Cosmo eventually deals with the school bully is ingenious, and shows just how much he’s grown.

Jack Reynor commands the screen every time he appears in a scene, and in some ways, even carries the movie, his character is so strongly and authentically portrayed. Ferdia Walsh-Peelo has a great voice and is believable as the love-struck teen who will stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

The film is rated PG-13 for thematic elements, including strong language and some bullying behavior, a suggestive image, drug material and teen smoking. Sing Street is a movie for all ages, primarily because it is more than just a “boy meets girl, gets girl” type of plot. It’s about going after your dreams, living up to your potential, taking risks, and all to a really great soundtrack.

I highly recommend Sing Street. The audience I viewed it with did too, given their laughter and comments about the film as we were filing out of the theater. Enjoy.

Hitchcock/Truffaut

When I was in my teens, my parents allowed me to stay up late after everyone else had gone to bed and watch Alfred Hitchcock movies on TV. I have since wondered about their leniency over my watching films where horror and suspense were the keywords for every movie poster.

At any rate, I developed an appreciation of Alfred Hitchcock’s filmmaking ability through all those late night movies, viewing such films as The Birds, Psycho, and Marnie. Later, I purchased a book by Donald Spoto, The Art of Alfred Hitchcock: Fifty Years of his Motion Pictures, and devoured it, marking each film in the Table of Contents as I had the opportunity to see it. I’ve seen all of them, beginning with The Thirty-Nine Steps, making me a fan you might say.

So when I saw the documentary Hitchcock/Truffaut advertised at my local art cinema, I made sure to drop by to watch it. The film is based on the 1966 book Cinema According to Hitchcock that French film director Francois Truffaut published about his interviews with Hitchcock during the 1960’s. It is a mix of archival footage of the two of them and Truffaut’s assistant, and present day interviews with directors speaking about how Hitchcock’s brand of storytelling influenced their cinematic endeavors.

It was fascinating. The film is rated PG-13 for suggestive material and violent images. Directors interviewed included Wes Anderson, Peter Bogdanovich, Richard Linklater, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Martin Scorsese, and David Fincher among others.

The interviews between Hitchcock and Truffaut especially focused on Vertigo and Psycho. The narrator comments that while Hitchcock’s movies of the 1940’s were good, in the 1950’s he was on fire. Those are the ones I recall watching late at night lying on the carpet in front of the old tele, spellbound (grin).

Since the movies back then couldn’t show sexual encounters as they do today, much was done as metaphor. It was fascinating to hear Hitchcock talk about the symbolism of the encounters between Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak in Vertigo, and how racy it was for Janet Leigh and her lover to be only partially clothed in their hotel room in Psycho.

He also shares some things about working with actors. He didn’t give much artistic license to them, if any, yet his results on screen were astonishing.

Hitchcock dug deep into his fears for subject matter for his films, and even if you are not writing that type of story for filmmaking, a lot can be learned from watching his films. He is likened to an artist, painting on the screen, and his films were so visual, so like art, the images linger in one’s mind long after the closing credits. To say he is the master of suspense is simply a fact. One that the directors interviewed attests to.

This was a worthwhile film to see. Ask for it at your local art house theater, or hope it comes to Netflix soon. If you’re a film buff like I am, you don’t want to miss it.

The Best Offer

The Best Offer is a 2013 drama/romantic mystery, filmed in Italy, and written and directed by Giuseppe Tornatore (known for Cinema Paradiso, a brilliant, now classic film). Ennio Morricone, the composer who won this year’s Academy Award for Best Original Score for The Hateful Eight, composed the beautiful musical score. It is rated R for some sexuality and graphic nudity, and is in English. An artist friend of ours recommended the film to us, and I’m glad it was brought to my attention.

A thinking person’s movie, this is a subtle, romantic tale that will keep you wondering what is really going on. Virgil Oldman (Geoffrey Rush, Academy Award Best Actor winner for Shine) is a successful and highly regarded managing director of an auction house, also serving as the auctioneer for high priced art and antiques from estates that sell to cultured and wealthy art lovers. With his friend Billy Whistler (Donald Sutherland) serving as buyer and silent partner, he amasses a fortune of hundreds of portraits of women, kept for himself in a vault at his home. For those of you who are knowledgeable of art, you will recognize some familiar faces amongst the many paintings in Virgil’s private vault.

Virgil keeps others aloof until he encounters Claire Ibbetson (Sylvia Hoeks), a woman who wants him to represent her deceased parents’ estate. She too has her own idiosyncrasies, an apparent agoraphobic who will not allow Virgil to see her as they go about agreeing on the details of the sale of an entire estate of furniture and art. Claire and Virgil slowly connect and open up to each other, despite their failings.

As Virgil goes about cataloguing the sizable estate, he frequents the shop of Robert (Jim Sturgess, whose credits include Across the Universe, and The Way Back). Some mechanical parts Virgil finds at the estate intrigue him, and he shows them to Robert, who delights in putting them together for him, piece by piece as each is delivered. The mechanical parts appear to belong to an automaton, the inclusion of which is the one thing about this film that I never quite thought fit in with the story.

As Virgil and Claire come out of their shells, for me a bit too easily, the storyteller pulls you along and you wonder what is really going on here? What mystery is unfolding that each subtle clue will lead you to solving? Is Virgil being taken? Who is really involved? Why is Claire hiding herself?

I was surprised as the mystery unraveled. Tornatore wrote an intriguing story and it was filmed and scored beautifully. At one point, Virgil makes a comment that the forger of a piece of art can’t resist putting in something of himself, even while striving to copy the master completely, and thus reveals something of his own authenticity. Everything can be faked, even emotions, by a good enough actor. But who amongst the players is not being their authentic self? Watch it and decide for yourself.

Tracks

Tracks is an Australian adventure, biography, drama based on the real life adventures of Robyn Davidson. Robyn Davidson wrote a book of the same name about her journey in 1977, when she made a 1,700-mile solo trek west across Australia from Alice Springs to the Indian Ocean, accompanied by four camels and her faithful dog. The film echoes the tales in The Way and Wild, two other movies depicting long distance journeys on foot.

Tracks was released in 2013, and is rated PG-13 for thematic elements, some partial nudity, disturbing images and brief strong language. Mandy Walker won 2014 Best Cinematography awards for Tracks from the Australian Cinematographers Society and the Film Critics Circle of Australia.

Robyn (Mia Wasikowska) desperately wants to walk across the western Australian desert. Her plan is to use camels to carry her water and supplies. She writes to National Geographic soliciting funds for her trip. An agreement is reached, and she is provided with the funding she needs with the stipulation that a photographer, Rick Smolan (Adam Driver), accompany her on portions of the trip to cover the story for National Geographic Magazine.

I admire Robyn for what she accomplished. Someday, I would like to do some long distance walking, possibly on the Camino in Spain or across England. The longest walk I’ve done to date is 18 miles round trip backpacking with two friends in the wilderness of Olympic National Park in Washington State. The walk in this film bears little if any resemblance to my little jaunt in the rain forest. Robyn walked across the Australian desert for 1,700 miles. Why? Why does anyone set a challenge for himself or herself that then becomes an obsession until completed? The desert doesn’t exactly hold the same draws as a rainforest, especially when it’s the Australian desert, a continent whose claim to fame is that there are more poisonous creatures there than on any other portion of the earth.

The same could be asked of Cheryl Strayed (Wild). Alone, carrying all she needed and more on her back, she walked 1,100 miles north on the Pacific Crest Trail from the border of Mexico to the Columbia River. I think the reason these women did these walks was that the solitude brings clarity and insight about the life their soul inhabits that cannot be found within the din of day-to-day discourse with other humans, days filled with tasks serving to dull the mind, and not giving enough space for true awareness. Robyn and Cheryl share commonalities in their life experience, grief that was transcended by doing their walks.

I first saw Australian actress Mia Wasikowska as the daughter Joni in the film The Kids Are All Right. Adam Driver stars as Kylo Ren in the ongoing Star Wars saga. They both seem to have promising careers ahead of them.

This is a really good film, one that hasn’t gotten much play or press. I recommend you watch it and pass it on if you find Robyn’s story resonates with you.

The Lady in the Van

Veteran actress Maggie Smith is The Lady in the Van, which is a film that is noted to be a “mostly true story” in the opening credits. The playwright Alan Bennett (The History Boys) wrote this screenplay about the odd woman who parked her van in his driveway. He expected her residence to be only for about three months, and instead, she ended up staying there for 15 years. The film is rated PG-13 for a brief unsettling image.

The homeless Miss Mary Shepherd, (or is it Margaret? the neighbors ask as they soon discover that she has many secrets) is a cantankerous eccentric who stretches the good people of Camden to the ends of their compassion. (The film was shot at the same house on the same street where the real events took place.)

The screenplay took plenty of liberties with the character of Alan, a somewhat reclusive writer played by Alex Jennings, who we see as two people, the playwright typing the story out, and the compassionate man who allows Miss Shepherd to reside in his driveway. He talks to himself seemingly having no one else close to listen to him.

Bit by bit, Miss Shepherd’s tragic life is revealed to us, in part explaining how she ended up homeless, living out of her van. The homeless don’t get that way for no good reason; often they are plagued by mental illness, and substance abuse. Ms. Shepherd is no exception in that there are reasons for her present state.

The neighborhood portrayed was a shining example of how more people should accept and help those in need. This took place beginning in the 1970’s, and perhaps there was more tolerance in England then or even today (I can’t speak to England’s moral values), but in America, the media portray the homeless as if there is something morally wrong with them, and do not paint them in a sympathetic light for who they really are. Facebook is filled with tirades against helping the homeless or those out of work, showing little understanding of the emotional issues that helped them get that way. Poverty seems to be interpreted as a moral failing which informs the ignorant statements I see from time to time. I can only hope that anyone seeing this film will find their conscience and compassion activated by the story, and be more tolerant and giving to those in need.

Interestingly, in 1999, Maggie Smith played the same character in Bennett’s play of the same name on stage. Maggie Smith was nominated for a Golden Globe award for her performance in this film. Jim Broadbent has a role in the film as well, a mysterious character till the end when all is revealed.

If you’re an anglophile, you will love this film. If you are a fan of Maggie Smith, you will love this film. And if neither of those applies, you might like it just for the quiet, compassionate little mystery that it is.

Amy

Amy was the fourth Academy Award nominated documentary feature that I watched this awards season. It is also the documentary that took home the prize. The film is rated R for language and drug material.

I remembered hearing Amy Winehouse for the first time when a coworker had purchased her CD and played the song Rehab for me. He said he liked it because it was so raw. I liked it too, but I now have a greater understanding of her music and I really, really like it. I love jazz and blues and this was her forte.

Amy was a British singer/songwriter with an incredible voice. Interestingly her idols were Tony Bennett and Sarah Vaughn. She came from a “broken” family, her parents separating early in her life. She seems to blame this for her subsequent alcoholism, substance abuse and mental health issues.

No doubt exacerbating her addictions was her meteoric rise to fame at a very early age. Barely out of her teens, Amy had a style all her own. I loved the way she did her hair in a beehive, her cat eyes mascara and eyeliner. She spoke what she thought and she wrote her life’s trials and tribulations into songs. The way she delivered a tune, her voice reminded me of Billie Holiday, another woman who had a troubled life and struggled with addiction.

Unlike the documentary about Nina Simone I reviewed earlier, where most visual details were from photos, Amy was filled with video footage, home videos and scenes of her everyday life taken off of her friends’ phones no doubt. It gave a very real and immediate feeling to the film, as did seeing her poems that became songs. I appreciated the visual aspect of this documentary, how it was pieced together, like piecing together the fabric of Amy’s short life, and I wholeheartedly agree with it being voted Best Documentary Feature at the Academy Awards. It’s worth your time.

Interesting that this year, 2016, two of the nominated documentaries had as subject matter, two very gifted female singers, and the two others I watched were about fighting for freedom, freedom from government control in the case of the Ukraine, and freedom from the drug cartels of Mexico in the other. This was a good year for documentary features.

Amy was a wounded young lady starved for love, starving her own body, betrayed by the disease of alcoholism, and finally used by those closest to her who didn’t want the cash flow to end. She lived on the edge until her heart gave out.  

She was a Grammy award winner, and I both recommend Amy's music and this documentary. Her poetry shines through in her lyrics, sharing the pain and joy that all humans share. I am reminded of Jim Morrison, another victim of alcoholism, who also died at the age of 27. He was a poet too. Perhaps all the best songwriters are. Rest in Peace and in song, Amy, wherever you've gone. 

Cartel Land

The third Academy Award nominated documentary I’ve seen this year, Cartel Land held me riveted from the opening sequence. The drug cartels of Mexico are feared on both sides of the border, and this documentary focuses on a group of vigilantes along the border in Arizona, as well as a citizen group in the Mexican state of Michoacán, some thousand miles away, where the cartels murder indiscriminately, and cause much grief and suffering to the good people in the cities. Rated R for violent disturbing images, language, drug content and brief sexual material, it is not for the faint of heart.

I wondered how this footage was obtained. Granted, the meth cooks all wore masks or bandannas on their faces, but they were speaking to the filmmakers about why they cook meth, and why they will continue to do so. Sales are mainly to the United States, which makes the U. S. a part of the problem. Mexico is a land of poverty, another reason given for why some choose to cook drugs.

As the film progressed, it was clear there is evil in the hearts of those in the gangs of the cartels. It also became clear that even the ones who profess to do good and help, like Dr. Jose Mireles “El Doctor” are not the saints they were initially made out to be.

The politics of the situation were also shown as being complicated. The people are frustrated that the Mexican government does not arrest the members of the cartel, and turn a blind eye to their crimes. Taking justice into their own hands, the AutoDefensas was formed, and they systematically take over the cartel village by village, cleaning up the streets.

Meanwhile, back in America, the leader of the group in Arizona feels it is his duty to protect the border from smuggled aliens being led in. He believes he lost his job in construction to illegal immigrants who work for less money, and he reports, do a sloppy job of constructing houses. How much does this have to do with the housing boom and subsequent crash, when houses were initially reasonable to purchase and then with the turn of the economy, people lost their jobs and their cheaply made homes? This group turns the illegals over to border patrol to be taken where? Directly back across the border I am guessing.

I got the feeling having watched this documentary that it is an issue that cannot be solved just on one side of the border. As long as there is demand for the drugs, there will be a ready supply. And these cartels are likened to the mafia, where police are corrupt and can be bought.

It is a worthy film to watch, if for no other reason than to be informed of why the State Department warns US citizens about traveling in Mexico. It may also leave you questioning politicians who lamely talk about the “war on drugs” with no understanding of what’s involved in the solution.

The Revenant

A revenant is a visible ghost or an animated corpse that has returned from the grave to terrorize the living. The Revenant is thus an apt title for a film where Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) just keeps on living and moving towards revenge on John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy) who has left him for dead and killed his only son Hawk (Forrest Goodluck). I knew all this from trailers I saw prior to going to the movie. I anticipated a violent film, but it was nominated for a staggering 12 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Director, Actor and Supporting Actor.

I saw it just before the Oscars and was glad I did. It brought Leo his first Academy Award for Best Actor, Best Director for Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, and Best Achievement in Cinematography.

This film is one that will keep you alert for the entire two hours and 36 minutes it’s on the screen. Not once did I think about the time that had elapsed or had yet to pass. This drama is rated R for strong frontier combat and violence, including gory images, a sexual assault, language and brief nudity.

The time period is the 1820’s and the setting is the northern regions of mountains, with freezing temperatures and danger at every turn, from nature and from humans, the French, the white Americans, the Native Americans. What we go to see as tourists today, the mountain vistas, rivers and waterfalls, and the vast expanse of sky, was a forbidding environment that frontiersmen and women and tribal people had to survive back then.

It is an incredible film to watch. It has made me deathly afraid to hike in any area where there are bears. The suffering Hugh Glass goes through when the mama bear attacks him is depicted in excruciating detail. They must have researched what grizzly bears do when they attack a human, as it was surprising to me and had me squirming and vocalizing at the long incident just as much as the rest of the audience was.

21 Grams, and Amores Perros, are two other films directed by Inarritu I have seen. Both are riveting tales, and hard to watch at times, as he really goes for the jugular, sparing no gruesome details. Birdman, Inarritu’s other award winning film, is an excellent film too.

According to IMDb, there were 16 filming locations, most in Canada and some in Argentina, Mexico, and a few in the United States. Leonardo gave a great acceptance speech at the Oscars, asking for us to pay attention to global warming and do something before more damage is done to the planet. They had to travel to the ends of the earth just to get the amount of snow they needed for filming.

The Revenant is still playing in Albuquerque theaters, and may still be in your community. If it is and you’d like to see it, I’d recommend going to the theater. The landscape you’ll be seeing is best viewed on the big screen.

Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom

Freedom and human dignity. That’s what Ukrainians were fighting for in 2013-2014 when their president betrayed them by choosing to align with Russia over the European Union. Winter on Fire:  Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom is a documentary feature that alternates between film footage of the actual protests, and interviews with some of the participants who were there.

The people of Ukraine see themselves as European. When President Yanukovich sided with Russia, students spontaneously gathered in Independence Square in Kiev. When the police, heavily shielded in protective gear, came to disperse the group and began beating them with iron sticks, other citizens joined in. They were outraged that the government would harm their children, so people from all over Ukraine, many religions, many languages, many ages, came to support them.

This reminded me of Vietnam War protests in the 1960’s. It was chilling. Months and months passed with no movement by the government to give the Ukrainian people what was requested. Former military leaders helped the protestors organize and protect themselves, building barricades and providing support. Those who had cars formed a circle around the protestors camping out, and were an integral part of the protest.

The protestors were non-violent, and it was only when the police started shooting them with rubber bullets and then mixed live ammunition in, that the violence really escalated. I found myself thinking, this is real life, these are real people being injured and killed, standing up for their beliefs and against a dictator who lied to them again and again. This is not fiction, like some other violence addled fictional movies out there. If people want to watch violence, at least watch the real thing, people putting themselves on the line every day, not some stupid action movie with super heroes. All the people who protested are heroes; average young men and women, mothers and fathers, religious leaders, who all set aside their lives for this cause.

I highly recommend this film. It is a reminder that every nation is built on individuals who speak up for what is right, and put their lives on the line until justice prevails.

As I sat and watched the days tick by for the Ukrainian citizens in this struggle, I thought about what I was doing on that particular day; how could I have not known about this fight? We are so consumed with our day-to-day lives, we forget that this planet is filled with individual souls also dealing with their own personal struggles in the world. Everywhere there are real life dramas being played out. For the Ukrainians, some of their hopes were fulfilled, for others, the struggle continues.

I don’t pretend to know much about the politics of that region, but I can sympathize with the protestors. I think you will find this a moving documentary film. It was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at this year’s Academy Awards, but the documentary film Amy won that honor instead. Stay tuned for a review of that documentary as well.