8/30/2014 Brick Lane, 2007, not nominated
I had heard about this movie, maybe through a trailer or maybe because it was based on a book (by Monica Ali), I don't know, but it stuck with me and it was added to my NetFlix queue a few years ago (don't judge, my list is very long). I finally decided to see if the library had it, and voila, they did. Brick Lane tells the story of a young girl from Bangladesh who is sent to England to be married to an older man, Chanu Ahmed, and they move to Brick Lane, a real street in London. Only a few minutes are spent on the girl's (Nazneen) life in Bangladesh where she witnessed her mother's suicide and was separate from her young sister. Nazneen and her sister never meet again (at least not in the film), but they share correspondence over the years which is read throughout the movie. Nazneen is very quiet and obedient, but in a move that temporarily angers her husband, she learns how to use a sewing machine and does piece work to earn extra money. Chanu comes off as very blustery, oafish and controlling, who seems to think he is indispensable at his workplace, only to find, he is not. He also finds that his two young daughters, especially his eldest, do not have a lot of respect for him either. He then decides the World Wide Web will lead him to his fortune, so he borrows money from a local money lender who charges him usurious rates; the catch with that is, usury is forbidden in Islam, so the woman makes it seem like it is a donation. Nazneen is unaware of this arrangement, and one of her few friends warns her to be careful. When Nazneen begins the piecework, the material is delivered by a young Bengali, Karim. As they get to know each other, they begin an affair. At first it does not seem that Karim is a particularly devout Muslim, although he chafes at the racism that he and his father (and others) encounter, and suffer through silently. 9/11 occurs during the movie, and we see how the backlash against foreigners, especially Muslims, radicalizes the young people, including Karim and his friends. This has a different impact on Chanu who decides he and his family will move home, to Bangladesh; for a long time, it seemed like this was something Nazneen wanted as well, but things have changed and she no longer yearns to return. For as blusterous as Chanu appears, he has a powerful scene at a community meeting led by Karim and his friends, who call for a more assertive response and demonstration to the anti-Muslim reaction they are experiencing. During this moment, Chanu, who is much older than the young people gathered, tried to remind them of the history of their country, Bangladesh, and how millions of Muslims have died from violence by other Muslims, and he tries to push for restraint, but they laugh at him (Bangladesh came to be after the partition of India and Bengal in 1947, which also lead to the creation of Pakistan, and there was much fighting during that time). Up until that point, I really did not have a lot of respect for his character, he seemed silly, but at that moment, he took on a different light, in my eyes and his wife, Nazneen. After this, she ends her relationship with Karim, and decides to stand up and become her own person. Chanu and Nazneen take a path I did not expect, and I wonder how it eventually works out for them. It took some time to get into the movie, and I wasn't sure about it, but I would have to say I did like it. After I finish the other books on my list, I may look into the book that inspired the movie.
8/31/2014 Dog Day Afternoon, 1975 Best Original Screenplay, National Film Registry
This was my second time trying to watch Dog Day Afternoon due to a faulty disk from the library, so I finally tried again with NetFlix. I wasn't sure what to expect because I have seen clips over the years and there was a weird element of comedy, but then Al Pacino going all hysterical, so I didn't know how it was going to go. I'm glad the disk worked this time, I really enjoyed the movie. The movie is based on events that occurred in New York City in August 1972; Pacino plays Sonny, one of the bank robbers and John Cazale is Sal, his partner. Sonny wants to rob a bank to get money for his boyfriend's sex change operation (he is also referred to as Sonny's 'wife' as they were 'married' in a ceremony some days earlier, never mind that Sonny is already married to Angela). Things go wrong right from the beginning when one of the guys that was supposed to help with the robbery gets cold feet after they enter the bank and start the robbery. It's all downhill from there for Sonny and Sal. Once Sonny realizes that the bank isn't holding more than a few thousand dollars and news of the robbery gets out, he tries to negotiate for a helicopter and plane and a way out, using the bank employees as collateral. The bank tellers, all women, have a variety of reactions as time goes on, and they establish a bond with Sonny, some seem to be enjoying this bit of adventure. The movie also features Chris Sarandon as Leon, Sonny's 'wife'; Charles Durning as Police Sergeant Moretti; a young Carol Kane (Taxi) plays one of the bank tellers. I didn't realize it when I watched it, and I don't know if this intent was there during the filming, but the Stonewall Riots that occurred in Greenwich Village just three years before the bank robbery, and when the public finds out that Sonny and Al are a gay couple, they receive support from the gay community, who appear at the site. It may not seem like a big deal now, when marriage can be written without quotations marks, but back in the 1970s, I would think it would be very groundbreaking. As I said, I really did enjoy the movie, the hint of comedy, great acting and interesting storyline tied together by Sonny's confidence that he's got the plan and Leon's vulnerability, and Moretti's desire to bring a peaceful end to the matter, although he is outmatched by the unruly crowd.
8/31/2014 Top Gun, 1985, Best Music, Original Song
I think I have mentioned this before, but in case you missed it, I have probably not seen some of the most popular movies of the 1980s and 1990s (Flashdance, Dirty Dancing, Sixteen Candles, Footloose, the list is endless); this always seems to amuse and amaze my friends. What can I say? They never interested me. That goes for Top Gun; I never really cared, although I listened to and liked a lot of the soundtrack, including the song that won the Oscar "Take My Breath Away" performed by Berlin, written by Georgio Moroder and Tom Whitlock. So, thanks to the list, I have now seen Top Gun. And, I liked it. I liked the flying, there are some great action scenes, which director Tony Scott was known for and the music really is great, from an era when soundtracks really made noise (sorry for the pun). The acting is okay, featuring young actors like Tom Cruise, Anthony Edwards, Val Kilmer, Tim Robbins and Meg Ryan. The plot isn't very complicated: ace fighter pilots are sent to the Top Gun program in Miramar, California, to learn and see who is the best in their class. By nature, it seems, fight pilots have to possess a certain amount of self-confidence, ego and cockiness to do what they do, and Cruise's character "Maverick" has all of this plus a degree of recklessness that has gotten him into trouble, and gets him into trouble at Top Gun; Maverick's best friend and Radio Intercept Officer is Goose (Edwards). Maverick also starts up a relationship with Charlie Blackwood (Kelly McGillis) who is a civilian instructor at Top Gun. Maverick is good, but he may have met his match in Iceman (Kilmer) and they have an intense rivalry that leads Maverick to be more aggressive and perhaps even careless. The pilots have simulated dog fights and push each other to the limits; something happens on one of the training runs that changes Maverick's outlook and attitude (I'm not telling you). Maverick does graduate from the program, but he may not be the best pilot of the class. After graduation, some of the pilots are sent to a real encounter with unfriendlies (the movie was made before glasnost, so the Soviet Union still existed and was considered a threat), and Maverick has to prove his merit. It may have been somewhat predictable, but the action sequences totally make up for it. I really thought I would hate this movie, or at least meet it with indifference, and I was wrong. It was nice to see a Tom Cruise character evolve a little in a movie. If you haven't seen it (and you're probably rolling your eyes saying, duh, of course I've seen it already), and you're looking for a good action film, I would recommend this one. And, I'm kind of thinking about getting the soundtrack (on LP)!
8/31/2014 A Place beyond the Pines, not nominated 2013
If I would have liked or loved every movie I watched this long weekend, I would begin to doubt my judgment. Never fear. A Place beyond the Pines snapped me out of that slippery slope. I was going to try and see this in the theater when it came out, and in hindsight, I am glad I didn't pay money for the experience. Even as I write this a week later, I'm angry I lost over two hours of my life. The movie stars Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, Dean DeHaan, Eva Mendes and Rose Byrne. Luke Glanton (Gosling) is a trick motorcycle rider who finds out he has a young son with Romina (Eva Mendes) and decides he needs more money, so after a time, he teams up with another guy to do some bank robberies. One robbery goes wrong and Gosling's character is killed by rookie cop, Avery Cross (Bradley Cooper), who has very big dreams for his career, although he does not revel in the shooting and feels worse because he learns Glanton had a young son, as does he. Cross soon finds he is a new celebrity and has some new friends on the police force of dubious character, including Liotta. Cross determines that his new friends are very corrupt and don't plan to leave him alone, so Cross turns the tables and begins climbing up the ladder. The last part of the movie shows Cross in a run for Attorney General of New York state and his son is now a troubled teenager; his son meets Luke's son, Jason (DeHaan) at school, but has no idea who he is, although Avery eventually finds out. I think this would have been interested if it would have been treated as a short film, focusing on the first act with Luke and Romina and the bank robberies and then ended with the shooting by Avery, leaving the viewer to wonder what happens. Instead we get a three act play, where quite frankly, I didn't care about any of the characters. We might have been intended to care about Avery, but he's too self-involved; Luke chooses a path of crime and has a chance to walk away from it, but doesn't; the two kids, sorry, but I didn't care about them either. I just kept begging for it to be over. I read an article online that said Gosling has taken a lot of roles where he doesn't say a whole lot, but just gives these serious looks and is glum and morose. I would agree. I think he can act when given the right material, but this was not it. I would say even if you can get it for free from the library, run the other way.
9/1/2014 Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Best Makeup, Best Sound, Best Sound Editing, Best Visual Effects, 1991
Would you be surprised if I said I have not seen any of the Terminator movies? Nah, you know me by now. And then when I realized or remembered that it was directed by James Cameron, I thought I would be kissing away four hours of my life. Well, I did like the movie, but I still think it was too long (I was lucky enough to get the Director's Cut DVD from the library). I tried not to focus too much on the whole time travel aspect otherwise my head would pop like a like a balloon. I probably should have watched Terminator, but I discovered that it wasn't really necessary, there was enough time to explain, at a high level, what happened. Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) is the mother of John Connor (Edward Furlong) who will save humanity from the machines in the future, so the machines send a cyborg, model T-1000 (Robert Patrick) back in time to kill him (hear that, that's my head). Terminator model T-800 (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is also sent back, but to protect John. It's a chase movie, with the T-800, John and Sarah trying to escape the more advanced T-1000 while at the same time, destroying the technology that creates the cyborgs. The move is really about the action and the effects, the acting isn't all that fabulous (although not as horrible as some movies) and I think there are always inherent issues with time traveling movies, like losing the audience and trying to make it make sense. Special effects have come a long way in 20 years, but I think these still hold up here, and looking at the competition from that year for makeup and effects (Star Wars VI, Hook and Backdraft), T2 was just bigger and more impactful (although I really liked Backdraft). Stan Winston did some of the visual effects (Industrial Light and Magic worked on the effects as well) and the makeup. As much as Cameron bugs me, he does have a great way of featuring strong women in his movies, women who are not afraid to shoot a gun, tackle an alien or get shot (Ripley in the Alien franchise and Sarah Connor here; I suppose you could include Rose from Titanic, but she just falls off of a sinking ship). Sarah Connor is definitely a force to be reckoned with in this movie, although she is getting ready to pass the torch to her son, John, and she is portrayed as crazy because she knows of the future and the cyborgs. I'm glad I saw the movie, if for no other reason than to have some context to some of the cultural references, like the phrase "I'll be back".
9/1/2014 I've Loved You So Long, 2008
I've Loved You So Long is a French film starring Kristin Scott Thomas. This is a movie that takes some time to get going, as Thomas's character, Juliette, slowly reveals herself and her secrets to us and her sister, Lea (Elsa Zylberstein). We meet Juliette as she is released from prison after fifteen years; if you haven't seen the trailer or read a review, you may not know why she was in prison, and she's not talking, In fact, she really doesn't talk much at all, it's as if she doesn't trust herself to speak, or at the very least, doesn't trust those to whom she's speaking. Her brother-in-law, Luc, is less than thrilled to have her stay with his family, a family that includes two little girls who Luc and Lea adopted from Vietnam. There are many opportunities to compare the sisterly relationship between Lea and Juliette and P'tit Lys and her younger sister (the two girls are not biological sisters, and the older girl, P'tit Lys, often asks questions about her mother and aunt's relationship when they were younger). Juliette tries desperately to get a job, but her prison record is a deterrent for potential employers. In the meantime, Juliette has to meet regularly with her parole officer, who is as gregarious and open as she is reticent and guarded, although it seems she appreciates that he doesn't seem to judge her. Juliette meets one of Lea's colleagues (she is a professor of literature), Michel, who respects Juliette's privacy, but also shares some of his own life and experiences, and begins to build a trusting relationship with her. Michel taught at a prison and while he doesn't have the same experience, since he could leave every day, he does understand how it changes a person. Gradually, Juliette becomes a part of her sister's family, especially as P'tit Lys grows fond of her and trusts her and breaks down Juliette's cold reserve. Even Luc begins to trust her. As I said, this movie unfolds slowly, although I didn't find it boring or tiresome, the pace is necessary to see Juliette evolve from a cold, frigid person into someone who is willing to show her love for her nieces, her sister and herself. Things are not always as they appear. It is heartbreaking as the mystery reason behind Juliette's imprisonment is slowly uncovered by her younger sister, Lea, and the walls start to come down, and you feel that Juliette might yet find some redemption. I like seeing a character evolve, especially when they seem so very unlikeable and then you begin to understand their point of view, or at least empathize with their struggle. It's the age old lesson of not judging a book by its cover. This isn't a feel good movie by most definitions, but I did feel encouraged at the end. I hope I've told you enough to look into the movie, but not too much that it spoils it for you. While the movie didn't get any Oscar nominations, it was nominated for several BAFTA awards (the British equivalent of the Oscars) and for several Cesars (the French equivalent).
Not only did I watch a lot of Law and Order: Criminal Intent, but I also watched an ITV television series called "Vera" starring Brenda Blethyn as Detective Chief Inspector Vera Stanhope and it's set in Northumberland. The setting is as much a part of the series as the actors are, with many scenes taking place out on the moors and in the countryside. Blethyn is amazing to watch; she's been in many films, but I remember first seeing her in Secrets and Lies by Mike Leigh from 1996 which was really fabulous. You might think of DCI Jane Tennyson from "Prime Suspect", but I think one of the compelling things about Tennyson is we see how flawed she is from the beginning and see her struggle to get respect from the men in her team. Vera seems more established; she probably did face heckling and resentment from her male colleagues, but we don't see it here. She's in command of her squad and her gender is rarely mentioned, at least not in a derogatory way. She does have her flaws, and she constantly frustrates her right hand man, Detective Sergeant Joe Ashworth. Some of the funny bits come in regards to the exchanges between his wife and Vera, or Joe and Celine about Vera, as well as when Vera gets information from the often inappropriate medical examiner, Billy. Celine refers to Vera as 'the other woman', but she does it with a smile and tries to include Vera in family things which makes Vera very uncomfortable. There are so many great series out there, but if you like British mysteries, this is a good one. Series four will be available on DVD in October 2014.
