I'm going to do this a little differently, as I normally try to review things in the order that I watched them, but I think it makes sense to group the documentaries together.
Blackfish, 2013 - not nominated, Saving Face - Best Documentary Short, 2011, Freeheld - Best Documentary Short, 2007
I feel like it's been a really long time since I've seen a documentary, so I kind of gorged myself, on these three films. It was an emotional feast. I don't mind saying I cried a lot during these three films; tears of joy, sadness, anger, sometimes all three in the same movie.
Blackfish - Blackfish tells the story of captive orcas (think Shamu) and their treatment in captivity, using the death of trainer Dawn Brancheau by Tilikum as the focal point. Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite gives the viewer a history of capturing the killer whales, and that's enough to make you cry. She uses historical footage and interviews one of the men who participated in the hunt. She introduces us to Tilikum who is huge even by orca standards. Cowperthwaite interviews several trainers and they talk about the training, or lack thereof, that they had when they joined Sea World; the trainers give insight into the conditions the animals are held, the animals' emotional intelligence, and their thoughts on captivity. A variety of experts present their opinions and findings as well, especially regarding the harm that is done to the animals when they cannot be with their natural social groups. Believe it or not, there was actually a SeaWorld in northeastern Ohio, and I went there many times as a kid. I thought it was the coolest thing, and loved seeing Shamu and the dolphins and the other animals. But as a kid, I was totally unaware that the whales were kept in less than ideal conditions, or how they were removed from the wild. I'm not sure I would have wanted to see them had I known, but honestly, I don't know if I was that prescient. The movie should certainly make you think about all animals in captivity, and if we are just doing this for our own enjoyment, or are we really being altruistic? I don't know. Ideally, all animals would be in their natural habitat, but how many of us can travel to Africa to see the beautiful giraffes or lions? Or travel to the Pacific to see pods of whales and dolphins? One of the scientists in the film mentions that humans need to see, maybe even touch, things in order to understand them. We need a tangible experience. Hence, our need to move animals thousands of miles away from their homes. And since we are such a destructive species, some animals only exist in 'safety' in zoos and aquariums. We seem to have created our own conundrum. I think if we must keep animals in captivity (and now some of these animals could not safely be released back to the wild), the answer might be to give them an environment as closely similar to their natural habitat as possible. There has been a lot of negative publicity to SeaWorld and they have tried to combat that and the Cowperthwaite in social media. SeaWorld did not participate in the documentary, and I wonder if they would have, if some constructive dialogue might have resulted. The film can be very intense at times, and it's never easy listening to animals crying (it's easy to anthropomorphize the whales), but I think it's important to watch.
Saving Face - I had been looking for this documentary since it won back in 2012 and finally found it on YouTube. Saving Face follows Dr. Mohammad Jawad, a London-based Pakistani plastic surgeon who returns to Pakistan to help women who have been victims of acid attacks. Through Dr. Jawad, we meet women whose lives have been utterly changed and destroyed by family members or in some cases rejected suitors by having acid thrown in their faces. In a country where women are already treated as third-class citizens, even chattel, disfigurement can impede any opportunity for 'success'. Dr. Jawad is a big man, and I imagine it must have been a little scary for these women to meet such a giant, especially since their wounds were often caused by men. But he speaks gently, patiently trying to learn more about the injuries, gaining their trust, because they must remove the scarves on the faces. As the women invariably tell the same story (or a moderate variation), Dr. Jawad listens without comment about a husband throwing battery acid on the mother of his children. I imagine he must keep calm, because erupting in anger will scare the women, and since they have been told that this is their fault anyway, that would probably reinforce that idea, and not be helpful at all. The film focuses on two women in particular, one of whom successfully files charges against her husband, and also receives successful surgery from the doctor. There are women in Pakistan who do have a voice, they are lawyers and Members of Parliament and they advocate for other women and eventually pass a law against acid violence. Some documentaries just provide a view into a different world and offer a neutral voice; there is nothing neutral about this documentary, and I'm not sure how there could be. This isn't a chance to debate the pros and cons of an issue, but an opportunity to learn and get properly outraged, but also uplifted by the work that the doctors and all of the medical staff do, the work that the different organizations do to help these women and the women themselves, who through adversity find some light at the end of the tunnel.
Freeheld - A lot has happened since 2007 in the world as far as gay and lesbian civil rights are concerned; gay and lesbian couples can get married in more states than even just three years ago; benefits for same-sex couples are 'assumed' in many American corporations (not everything is sunshine and roses, but the progress has been quite astounding). The progress that we can now experience and share often comes on the back of ordinary, everyday people who find themselves in the middle of a battle, not of their choosing. That's the case for Laurel Hester and her partner Stacie Andree. Laurel was a police office and detective in Ocean County, New Jersey for over twenty years. She was diagnosed with lung cancer, and in an effort to protect her partner, but also maintain her integrity, she tried to get the county to let Stacie receive her pension after she died. As one of her advocates said in the film, she could have been deceptive and probably gotten away with it, but that wasn't her character. The movie follows the challenge that Laurel and Stacie faced trying to convince the Freeholders (similar to county commissioners) that they had the power, under state law, to allow this to happen. They refused for several reasons, even as they faced increased opposition and anger from Laurel's fellow officers and residents. The director follows Laurel and Stacie in the home they have made together, to the hospital for treatments, showing them as a loving couple. Stacie makes those phone calls to the insurance company, bill collectors, etc., just like any other spouse would do. She doesn't do a lot of talking, but her actions and love for Laurel speak volumes. Laurel's first partner on the police force speaks on camera as well as during the hearings; her police chief speaks on her behalf as well. Watching her neighbors and friends advocate for Laurel should remind us about what is good about people, and that Americans' sense of decency and doing the right thing can be triumphant. Nobody said that they didn't want Laurel to protect their streets and citizenry because she was gay; it probably didn't come up; what mattered was if she was a good cop, and by all the testimony provided, she was. She served her community, and now was asking her community to support her and give her what her heterosexual colleagues would receive without going through these hoops. When the end result is finally achieved, I was pissed off that this women and her partner had to expend energy to get it done, when it should have been a no-brainer, and they could have enjoyed Laurel's last moments more. This is also on YouTube and I cannot encourage you more strongly to take 40 minutes out of your day and watch it.
12/21/2014 Chico and Rita, nominated for Best Animated Feature, 2011
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| 1930s Havana, Cuba |
I thought the timing of me watching this film was kind of fortuitous given the recent change in rhetoric about US/Cuba relations (I hesitate to say 'thaw' at this time, but fingers crossed). The film starts in current day Cuba and then is told in flashbacks going back to the 1930s and 1940s, before the Revolution and when people and music flowed with great ease between Cuba and the US. The main characters are Chico, a very talented pianist and Rita, a sensual singer; the two have an on again/off again relationship, professionally and personally. In fact, sometimes I felt like I was watching a soap opera. Rita has bigger success in America than Chico, but still faces challenges, especially because of her skin color. The movie gives the viewer great exposure to Cuban music and the American music it influenced (or vice versa), as well as a glimpse into early 20th century Cuba. The animation itself is very warm and smoky, like the music; it's full of shades of browns, yellows, and reds. Stylistically, I think it was better than most of the other nominees at that time (Puss in Boots, Kung Fu Panda 2, Rango); and I think the content was definitely geared to the adult audience, unlike the other nominees. Perhaps voters weren't in tune with the adult themes (sex, drugs, music), but I remember watching Rango and being bored (I haven't officially reviewed it yet, but I will). It seems the winners of the long form animated feature are tame, even with Frozen, that was the safe and obvious choice. If you're into Latin-flavored music and good animation, you should check this out.
12/21/2014 Some Like It Hot, Best Costume Design - B&W, 1959, AFI #22, National Film Registry
This film is a classic, at least that's what everything tells me, from the AFI ranking of 22, being on the National Film Registry, and also having a cast that most directors would kill for: Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis. What's a girl to do with these great expectations? She enjoys the damn movie, that's what. I didn't laugh my head off, but I rarely do, I'm fairly stoic, but I did laugh, and I did really enjoy the performances, which were great. First, let me say I'm not sure Jack Lemmon ever made a bad movie, and if he did, it probably wasn't his fault. He was a powerful dramatic actor, but also had comedic chops (The Apartment, The Odd Couple, Grumpy Old Men). Lemmon is Jerry, an upright bass player, who along with his best friend, Joe (played by Tony Curtis who also had comedic and serious roles, The Great Race, Spartacus) who is a saxophone player. The movie is set in the late 1920s, during Prohibition and the height of the gangster era, and in fact, the infamous St. Valentine's Day massacre is the key event in the movie. Joe and Jerry witness the massacre and take off on the run to escape the mob. The only option they see open to them is to join a female band and head to Florida. You may ask, how do they join an all-woman band? Why, they don frocks, wigs and change the pitch of their voices and change their names to Daphne (Jerry) and Josephine (Joe) of course. This was cross-dressing before Mrs. Doubtfire, Tootsie or Bosom Buddies. They befriend a somewhat ditzy ukulele player, named Sugar (Marilyn Monroe), and of course, both men are smitten by her, and she just sees them as gal pals. I cannot remember ever seeing Monroe in anything other than a brief clip or as portrayed by another actress, so I didn't know what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised; she did have good timing, and I liked her character and her portrayal; she was talented and I look forward to watching her other movies. Of course, you know the movie couldn't go along so smoothly, there are a few twists and turns. One of the wealthy men hanging out in Florida is Osgood Fielding (Joe E. Brown) and he has the hots for Daphne; as Osgood is pursuing Daphne, Joe takes on the guise of a rich oil man in order to woo Sugar (are you following this?). Then, coincidentally, there is a gathering of "Lovers of Italian Opera" which is code for gangsters, including the ones that Joe and Jerry were trying to escape. At one point one of the 'chase' sequences reminded me of those silly chase scenes from Scooby Doo (if you've ever watched those cartoons, you know what I mean). The great Billy Wilder directed the movie; I have seen several Wilder films in the past weeks, including The Lost Weekend and Sabrina I believe (not originally, I fear) that if there was no Some Like it Hot, there would not have been a Tootsie, Mrs. Doubtfire or any other cross-dressing characters, at least not quite like this.
12/21/14 Tammy, not nominated (probably not a concern), 2014
Melissa McCarthy is really funny, and she was funny in Tammy, which she co-wrote with Ben Falcone (her husband) and Falcone directed, but there were parts of the movie that just missed. Tammy works at Topper Jack's, a fast food burger place, but is fired for being late, and probably cursing the manager (Falcone) and throwing things. Then, as if her day could not get any worse, she walks in on her husband talking with their neighbor (this is to be construed as an affair with the neighbor, played by Toni Collette). This prompts Tammy to run away from home, to her mother's (Allison Janney) and then off with her grandmother (Susan Sarandon). Grandma and Tammy head to Niagara Falls, via Louisville, Kentucky. The pair experience many misadventures, including getting arrested, robbing a Topper Jack's, and setting fire to a jet ski. Kathy Bates is grandma's lesbian cousin, Lenore and Sandra Oh is her wife, Susanne, and they made their fortune selling pet food (I think). I did laugh, not uncontrollably, like in Bridesmaids, but there were funny parts. I think McCarthy needs a skilled director and writer to bring out her skills, she is an incredible physical comedian, fearless in tackling material (again Bridesmaids) and she can also play it fairly straight (St. Vincent). I borrowed from the library for a dollar, and I needed a laugh. Here's hoping she gets a good role coming up.
