Not exactly on the list but: Jason Bourne, The Tempest, Big Star, rep theater with Out of Print

After being duly chastised by a friend of mine for not posting in a while (I'm not sure what defines 'a while' but apparently it was too long for her), I am back at it.

8/18/16 Jason Bourne, 2016 not yet nominated

Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) is back and it picks up from The Bourne Ultimatum almost as if Jeremy Renner's The Bourne Legacy never happened. Julia Stiles reprises her role as Nicky Parsons, Bourne's one-time contact within the agency, who is now working for a Julian Assange-type character. Tommy Lee Jones is the new head nemesis as Director of the CIA, Robert Dewey. Heather Lee (Alicia Vikander) helps to lead or (tries to) the new operation to bring in Bourne. The movie is almost non-stop action, from crazy chases in Greece and Germany to Las Vegas to fights to using the latest in cyber-technology. There are references to the previous films, so you kind of have to have some familiarity with them for some things to make sense. A friend of mine mentioned that she liked Bourne movies better than Bond movies (I can't remember which friend), and I think I agree. Bourne films have a grittiness to them; the underlying quest for information on his identity provides the raison d'etre for every movie, which gives the movies continuity. Also Bourne doesn't have a whole agency on his side, it's him, and perhaps a rogue agent, against The Agency, which makes his victories more impressive. I still like the Bond films, but Bourne has a slight edge.


8/20/16 The Tempest, nominated for Best Costume Design, 2010

The Tempest, directed by Julie Taymor (Lion King, the musical) and starring Helen Mirren (Prospera), Ben Whishaw (Ariel), Felicity Jones (Miranda, Prospera's daughter), is a re-telling of William Shakespeare's play The Tempest is visually very appealing, and Mirren is definitely the focal point (in the original play, the main character is Prospero). Prospera and her young daughter were sent away from their home of Milan by Prospera's jealous and power-hungry brother, Antonio (Chris Cooper). She has lived on an island with the company of her daughter, a sprite, Ariel and a slave, Caliban (Djimon Hounsou) and has been honing her magical powers waiting for the time to plot revenge on Antonio and Alonso, King of Naples (David Strathairn). The King, Antonio and the King's son, Ferdinand (Reeve Carney) are shipwrecked on Prospera's island after a terrible storm, wrought by Prospera and saved by Ariel. Like other Shakespeare plays, The Tempest is broken into three different plot lines: the love story between Miranda and Ferdinand; the intrigue with Alonso, Alonso's brother, Sebastian (Alan Cumming) and Antonio; the comedic element with Caliban, Stephano, Alonso's butler (Alfred Molina) and Trinculo, the jester (Russell Brand), with Prospera and Ariel the links between them all. It helped to watch the movie with subtitles because it was easier to understand the dialog, which is so critical with Shakespeare. I liked the movie, there are some funny moments, some dramatic moments; I enjoyed the interplay between Prospera and Ariel; Mirren is really superb. The movie did terrible at the box office, and I have to imagine that Shakespeare is not a huge box office draw and perhaps the story of The Tempest isn't as well known as Romeo and Juliet, King Lear or Othello.

8/23/16 Big Star - Nothing Can Hurt Me, 2012

I had heard of Alex Chilton from when he as in The Box Tops ("The Letter"), and then his name would pop up as an influence for some other band I liked, and I came across this documentary about Big Star, a band founded by Chilton, Chris Bell, Jody Stephens and Andy Hummel in Memphis, Tennessee in 1971. They were part of the Stax musical family. I'm not sure how to describe their music, but it sounded a little alt-rock, garage rock, sort of. Some of their songs I really like, but others, I just could not quite get into, but I'm still trying. The documentary looks at the band through interviews with band members, friends and family and other musicians, either contemporary or those influenced by Big Star. There is an air of heaviness and sadness throughout the film, partially because the band never achieved the level of stardom that many people at the time and since thought they deserved; and partially because once they did finally get the longed-for recognition, one of their founding members, Chris Bell, had died, and Alex Chilton and Andy Hummel died two years before the documentary was released. Even though Chilton is probably more well-known on his own, Chris Bell seemed so much more compelling a figure; a sonic genius, according to some; the initial spirit behind Big Star, but troubled by drug use and depression, he left the band after its second album; and then living way outside of the limelight with some attempts at making a musical comeback; and the documentary hints at, but never confirms or proves, that Chris may have been struggling with his own homosexuality. I love music and documentaries, and I love when I feel like I have learned about a new (to me) artist or musical style. I feel this documentary does a great job of telling us about Big Star, their place in the Memphis music scene as well as the American music scene at the time and about the people in the band.  

8/24/16 Out of Print, 2016

This was a totally random find for me; I was just doing some searching for something to watch, and came across Out of Print a movie about a movie theater, the New Beverly Cinema in Los Angeles to be specific. The New Beverly Cinema is known as a 'revival' or 'repertory' theater, featuring 35mm films from classics to cult favorites. The movie, directed by Julia Marchese who is also an employee at the New Beverly, is as much about the theater as it is the people who go there. Marchese interviews employees, projectionists, customers (there is probably a better word, I just can't think of it right now), celebrities who are also customers/fans (?) of the theater. The movie is an homage to a dying breed of theater, a single screen cinema showing movies on 35mm as parts of nightly double features. We hear how the theater and its staff and owners (originally Sherman Torgan and then his son, Michael - who are never shown speaking about the theater themselves; Sherman Torgan died in 2007) made the theater part of the community. I love movies, hence this blog, but I cannot say I have a preference over film versus digital in most cases. Maybe that's because as I have worked through my list of movies, I know there is no way I would get to see them unless it was on DVD or streaming. That's just reality. However, I totally appreciate seeing movies on the big screen, especially movies like The Wizard of Oz, Fantasia, Spartacus, Gone with the Wind, etc. That is why I try to see movies on the big screen at theaters like The Heights, Riverview, The Cedar-Lee, and even micro-cinemas like the Trylon. I love the passion that Marchese and her merry band bring to the topic.

Film in underground storage in Kansas

Reels of film in underground storage in Kansas

waiting for the movie to start at The Heights Theater

Race, Singin' in the Rain, M.A.S.H. and All the President's Men

7/31/16 Race, not yet nominated 2016

Race is the story of Jesse Owens' (Stephan James) journey to and experience at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany. Some historical background: Owens' family moved from Alabama to Cleveland, and Jesse essentially spent his formative years in Cleveland, Ohio, and then ran at The Ohio State University. The movie spends some time on his college racing career and his coach, Larry Snyder (Jason Sudeikis), and then moves to the Olympics in an increasingly hostile and racist and anti-Semitic Germany. Owens considered not going to the Olympics because of the conditions. German filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl (Carice van Houten), who filmed the Olympics as part of a larger propaganda scheme is in the film and acts as an interpreter/translator between Avery Brundage (Jeremy Irons) and propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels. I don't know if that really happened, but it helps to connect the different personalities and introduces the character of Hitler even if there is no dialog from him. The movie gives us a very small glimpse into the Nazi world that Hitler was creating, and just a small look at what Jesse Owens had to deal with, overcoming the odds, the pressure to win four gold medals. There was a little bit of the relationship that Owens had with Carl "Luz" Long in the long jump competition, but as with most of the movie, I was left wanting more. I'm a little familiar with Jesse Owens's story, so I was hoping for something more, something visceral to really convey the racism he had to face, trying to balance his love for his sport and his country, but also survive in a country where racism was still quite systemic. I didn't get that. I got a little, but not enough. I wanted some of those moments I got from Selma which left me in tears and with chills. I wanted to come away with the sense of enormity with what he did. Now we think nothing of it that athletes participate in two, three or four Olympics, but back in the days before financial support and training opportunities, that just wasn't feasible for most people, so four gold medals in one Olympics was momentous. It was good, and this is the perfect time to watch it since Track and Field is happening in the Olympics now.

8/6/16 All the President's Men, Best Supporting Actor, Best Sound, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Art Direction, 1976, #77 AFI, National Film Registry

Released a few years after the events it covers (the break in to the Democratic National Committee headquarters, the subsequent cover up and the eventual resignation of President Nixon), most people viewing were probably more than well-versed in what was happening in the country at the time. Watching it forty years later, it may be more 'educational' on investigative reporting or a Clif's notes version of the 1970s, and an interesting look at a young Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman. It's a fitting predecessor to the winner of the 2016 Best Picture winner Spotlight. I can watch All the President's Men over and over because there is always something I missed or didn't make the connection, or I've learned something new about the time frame and now it makes sense in the context of the movie. I love the story, I really like seeing the process of the research and digging into the sources; Redford as Bob Woodward and Hoffman as Carl Bernstein are good (I don't know enough about the real people to say how accurate they are); Jason Robards (love him) as executive editor Ben Bradlee of the Washington Post won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. It occurred to me that some people may think this Watergate stuff is tame compared to the craziness going on this year (heaven help us all), but I think it shows the power of the press and the importance of a free press and the ability to turn over the rocks.

8/9/16 M.A.S.H., Best Adapted Screenplay, 1971, #54 AFI, National Film Registry

 Before I ever knew there was a move M.A.S.H., my father subjected me to the television series (I say 'subjected', but it ultimately became one of my favorite television shows). There are similarities, but the television show gave the characters time to develop and evolve and for the viewers to learn more about their personal lives. The familiar opening tune in the television series is actually a whole song called "Suicide is Painless"; we also get the loudspeaker announcements. M.A.S.H. was directed by Robert Altman, which I did not know, and after I learned that, the flow of the movie makes sense. Based on the other Altman films I've seen (Nashville, Prairie Home Companion, Gosford Park), there may not be an obvious plotline, but if there is, it is connected by little vignettes, mini-movies within the larger movie. Characters like Hawkeye (Donald Sutherand), Trapper John (Elliott Gould), Henry Blake (Roger Bowen), Radar (Gary Burghoff - the only actor to go from the movie to television series), Frank Burns (Robert Duvall) and Hot Lips Houlihan (Sally Kellerman), sorry folks, no Max Klinger. We don't get as much in the operating theater as we did in the television series; it's there, but the action is focused on the hijinks and trouble that Hawkeye, Trapper John and co. can get into, whether that is revealing Hot Lips in the shower, rigging a football game, driving Frank Burns crazy. It's not my favorite Altman movie, I like it, but I still prefer the television series.

8/13/16 Singin' In the Rain, 1952 #5 AFI, National Film Registry, #7 BBC

 I haven't done a detailed study, but this may be the only movie that did NOT win an Oscar, but is on my three lists. That seems really crazy. It didn't win a single Oscar. Jean Hagen as Lina Lamont was nominated for Best Supporting Actress. Betcha didn't see that coming. Singin' In the Rain holds up after almost 65 years. Gene Kelly is Don Lockwood a vaudevillian turned stunt man turned actor; Donald O'Connor is Cosmo Brown, his friend and a huge comedic asset to the film; Debbie Reynolds is Kathy Selden an aspiring actress and singer who becomes romantically involved with Lockwood. The story (basically) is a re-telling of Hollywood's transition from silent pictures to the talkies; many actors and actresses were left behind because their voices did not translate to the silver screen. Lockwood and Lamont are working on a movie together when the new talkie technology and The Jazz Singer appear on the scene. R.F. Simpson (Millard Mitchell) is the head of Monumental Pictures and he wants to make a talking picture. It doesn't take too long before everyone realizes that Lina Lamont may not be made for this new invention. This narrative is built around music and dance breaks which are worth watching alone. Kelly and O'Connor are great together, O'Connor is funny and comedic, but he matches Kelly step for step. "Good Morning", "Make 'em Laugh"and "Singin' in the Rain" and "Broadway Melody Ballet" are just spectacular. Fred Astaire was suave, debonair and elegant and Gene Kelly was suave, but athletic as well. The story is funny, it actually worked and held my interest, contrary to Swingtime which kind of bored me unless Astaire and Rogers were dancing. Jean Hagen really nails the character of Lina Lamont; Reynolds sounds superb and hangs with O'Connor and Kelly (I did read that she wasn't that much of a dancer and that Kelly, who directed the dance scenes, was tough on her); it's beautifully filmed, colorful without being gaudy and nauseating. It's one of the few movies I could watch over and over. It's great for family movie night.

Anniversary edition - movies you might have missed

Happy anniversary! It's the fourth anniversary of this blog, which I find hard to believe. I've watched hundreds of movies, some I remember and some, I honestly do not. Some I have loved, others I liked, and a few, I have just detested. People ask me all the time what's my favorite movie, what do I recommend, have I seen this or that. It's kind of fun. What's really fun is when they find out I have never seen certain 'classics', like Ghostbusters, or until recently, Dirty Dancing. If you are wondering how I decide what to watch, I'll explain. The original plan was to watch all of the Oscar-winning films going back to the beginning, all categories; that expanded to all nominees beginning in 2010, which is before the blog, but kind of when I started to methodically watch Oscar films; then that led me to the American Film Institute's list of best 100 films, the national film registry and just last year, the BBC's 100 best American films. In between, I review almost every other movie I see, mainly because it's habit, and I usually review the concerts or live events I attend; sometimes because there is a connection to films or books and, you know, everything is related. If you're looking for a movie, you can always email me, but feel free to use the search feature or the tags at the top of the blog. For this anniversary, I am going back in the archives for movies that you might have missed, skipped or just never heard of that might be worth your time. Thanks for reading.

Who are the Debolts? And Where Did They Get 19 Kids?  I remember watching this documentary and being overwhelmed at the love that was in this family. I have no doubt if this film came out in the Internet troll age, there would be any number of crass comments, but it didn't, thank goodness. It's inspiring, emotional and uplifting, and real.

True Grit with John Wayne - Okay, you may not have missed this since it does star John Wayne, but if you have not seen it, or not seen it in a long time, it's time to watch it again.The Duke is in top form.

Born Yesterday with Judy Holliday and William Holden is funny and introduced me to Judy Holliday who was a great comedic talent. I had heard about this movie for a long time, and seen other actresses compared to Holliday, but would not have seen it if it wasn't on one of my lists.

The Hunt is a Danish film starring Mads Mikkelsen and it had my attention from the beginning. The Kafka-esque story will have you yelling at the screen at what transpires. Mikkelsen should have been nominated for an Oscar for his performance.

Nowhere in Africa is a movie I would like to watch again. It was a story that I had not heard before, which I always like, and it made me think, but also feel. It is a foreign film, mostly in German, but don't let that deter you. It's beautifully filmed and so moving.

The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared is a Swedish movie from 2015 that totally caught me off guard with its charm, humor and perspective. It's quirky, and had some elements that reminded me of one of my all time favorite movies, another Swedish film, My Life as a Dog from the late 1980s.

If you are a frequent reader, you know I love my documentaries, features, shorts, foreign and English. There are so many good and great ones, but I'll focus on two from 2015 What Happened, Miss Simone? and The Hunting Ground. I knew very little about singer Nina Simone, nothing really, until this documentary, and I was totally blown away by this woman's voice, her journey to become a performer, her sheer talent as a pianist and writer and her fight for civil rights during the 1960s. It left me wanting to know more. The Hunting Ground is very different, but just as powerful, as it looks at sexual assaults on college campuses, how most colleges and universities refuse to take action to protect female (and male) survivors of assault, even deny that it happens or their obligations to the survivors. We meet survivors who are taking their fights to campuses and to the media, supporting one another, and are refusing to give up and be silent.

There are so many more, but I'll leave it here.