oh, you're a movie critic now?: October 2016

Grandma with Lily Tomlin, Stanwyck & Fonda in The Lady Eve and Affleck in The Accountant

10/23/16 Grandma, 2015

Grandma starring Lily Tomlin, Julia Garner and Marcia Gay Harden is a small, independent film that was released in 2015. It's a dry comedy with some serious moments along the way. Lily Tomlin is Elle Reid, a lesbian poet sill in mourning over the death of her long-time partner, Violet. The movie opens with Elle breaking up with her young, admiring girlfriend, Olivia (Judy Greer). Elle's granddaughter, Sage (Garner), stops by, looking to borrow money. Elle hasn't been doing so well financially (hint: poetry is not always monetarily rewarding even if it's good for the soul). Sage reluctantly reveals why she needs the money - she's pregnant and wants an abortion, and as we find out, neither Sage nor Elle have a very good relationship with Judy (Harden), Sage's mother and Elle's daughter. The rest of the movie is like a quest, with Elle determined to help her granddaughter get the money; along the way, Sage (and we) learn about Elle's past lovers and friends. It's a touching and funny story that doesn't get caught up in sentimentality or easy resolutions. Tomlin is stellar as the gruff, stubborn but very caring Elle who has a complicated history. Garner as Sage was up to the task of an 18-year old young woman who is making a life-altering decision, practically on her own, because she knows that any discussion with her mother will result in an argument; she finds a surprising ally in her grandmother. Judy (Harden) is a driven single mom by choice, who likes to ; we learn control the situation; her relationship with Elle is tense if not outright hostile; we learn that Judy was closer to Violet, so there is a little ground to make up. The three leads are fabulous and the supporting cast is great with Judy Greer, Laverne Cox and Sam Elliot. There are no special effects or car chases, no prat falls, but a story that is probably more fact than fiction told in a funny but sweet way. This might not be on your list, but you should add it.

10/23/16 The Lady Eve, 1941, National Film Registry, #32 BBC

For me, this movie was a case of 'don't judge a book by its cover' or really 'don't judge a movie by its title'. I thought The Lady Eve was going to be some of kind femme fatale movie starring Barbara Stanwyk and Henry Fonda. I was totally surprised to find out it was a comedy, and pleased to boot. It also involves a little bit of role reversal with Stanwyk as Jean Harrington is part of a team of con artists trying to take heir Charles Pike (Fonda) for a ride. Unfortunately, things don't go quite as planned when Jean and Charles fall for each other, and then unfall for each other. I don't know what you think, but when I think of Barbara Stanwyk and Henry Fonda, comedy is not what comes to mind. But Preston Sturges (Sullivan's Travels) directs these two in this sharp, fast-paced and funny comedy. The movie didn't win any Oscars and you don't often hear it mentioned, certainly not like the Hepburn/Tracy or James Stewart comedies, but I think it deserves more attention.

10/27/16 The Accountant, 2016 not yet nominated

After the movie ended, my friend asked me what the blog would say, I didn't know then, and I'm not sure I know now. I liked it, didn't love it, thought there was something with the story line that bugged me, but I can't put my finger on it. I thought it was an intriguing concept (I worked for one of the Big Three accounting firms, mentioned in the movie, actually, and I find it hard to believe that any of the accountants there could be sharp shooters, experts in the martial arts or any of the other traits that Ben Affleck's character does). Ben Affleck is Christian Wolff, an accountant who specializes in 'uncooking' the books of clients, he goes in, figures out where the embezzling or 're-directing' of money is happening, and then, well, I'm not sure exactly. He is also on the autism/Asperger spectrum, so he struggles with interpersonal contacts, oh, and he's an excellent marksman, fighter and mathematician. The movie uses flashbacks to give us a glimpse into young Christian's life with his family; his mother wants Christian to go to an institution to get some help for his condition, but his father, a military man, refuses and this places stress on the family to the point where his mother leaves the family. Christian has a younger brother, Braxton, who does not have autism, but still experiences the effects by watching and living with his brother. Christian is called in to look into the books of a robotics company owned by Lamar Blackburn (John Lithgow); he's brought in because a junior accountant, Dana Cummings (Anna Kendrick), found an anomaly in the numbers. Wolff and Cummings talk a lot of accounting gibberish at a lightening fast pace, and what I realized towards the end is that it really doesn't matter. It's all smoke and mirrors and not really relevant to the story (just know, people are moving money around for their own benefit), otherwise, you'll get a headache. As Christian is sorting out the missing money, there are federal Treasury agents trying to find a mystery man who travels the world performing financial magic for some pretty big crime names. Raymond King (J.K. Simmons) asks analyst Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson)to look into the mystery man. I enjoyed the detective work that she did, finding the connections and patterns to find the man. Meanwhile, there's another man who has a similar skill set to Christian's but they are not working together, and in fact, may be working at cross purposes here. There is a lot going on, and what you see may not be what is. Affleck's Wolff has a similar gravitas to his portrayal of Batman with some intentional and unintentional humor (his character doesn't always recognize irony); Kendrick is sweet and funny and a little confused by Wolff, but the two have a connection with accounting and numbers. There are several twists, so I don't want to give too much away. It's not quite at the adrenaline rushing pace of the Jason Bourne films, but it's an accounting action film, which is a novel idea.

Mean Streets and Judgement at Nuremberg

10/8/16 Mean Streets, 1973 #93 BBC, National Film Registry

Mean Streets is one of director Martin Scorcese's very early films, and it features some very familiar faces like Robert DeNiro as Johnny Boy Civello and Harvey Keitel as wise-guy wanna be Charlie Cappa. Much like other movies filmed in New York in the 1970s (Shack, The French Connection), the city is a gritty, rough and compelling co-star. Scorcese (who also directed the documentary on The Band, The Last Waltz) features music in the background and also as part of the story. DeNiro's Johnny Boy comes across as a clown, always scamming his friends, including Charlie, and Charlie's friend and loan shark, Michael. Charlie wants to move up in his uncle's 'organization' in the local mob, but he is restricted by his friendship with Johnny Boy and his relationship with Johnny's cousin who has epilepsy (epilepsy isn't contagious, but Charlie's uncle and others don't want her around, I'm not sure if that is how society really was in the 1970s, or if it was cultural or what). Keitel is the main star here, the movie opens with home movies of Charlie and his family at church functions, it looks like a baptism, but I don't think it was his child, and we follow him on various errands for his uncle, hanging out with Johnny Boy, wreaking havoc on kids coming into the city for a good time. DeNiro demonstrates the intensity that he is known for in later films like Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and even The Fokkers franchise (seriously, his character is crazy intense - I just watched one of them last night - no judging). There's no end game to Mean Streets, like a big battle to be fought, a damsel to be rescued, a grail to be found, it just follows a couple of friends, who happen to be low-level mobsters. There is some violence, but not as much as in some of Scorcese's films. I was thinking of "The Sopranos" as I watched, and thought this could have been some kind of prequel to it. I liked it, and since I have been watching a lot of Scorcese's films as part of this long project, I'm glad I did; it is always interesting to see actors and directors in the early years.

10/12/16 Judgement at Nuremberg, Best Actor, Best Screenplay, 1961 National Film Registry

Judgement at Nuremberg was made fourteen years after the real-life events upon which it was based, which was the Judges' Trial from 1947. This trial was not for Hess, Goebbels or any of Hitler's other henchman. It was for the judges who carried out the Nuremberg Laws on behalf of the Nazi regime. Stanley Kramer (The Defiant Ones, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner) directed and produced the movie from Abby Mann's Oscar-winning script. Spencer Tracy as Judge Dan Haywood, a simple, straightforward and curious judge from Maine, who is under no illusion that he was the first choice for this job; Maximillian Schell is defense counsel Hans Rolfe (Best Actor); his clients include Emil Hahn (Werner Klemperer) and Dr. Ernst Janning (Burt Lancaster). Judge Haywood comes to Nuremberg and is a little overwhelmed by the destruction in the city and his new living quarters which once belonged to Frau Bertholt (Marlene Dietrich) and the staff of three that attend to him. At one point he comments that he really doesn't need all of the help, but he is told that the staff get to eat if they work for him, so he reluctantly keeps them on. At hand before him and his fellow judges on the tribunal are the cases of four judges who are accused of crimes against humanity for their role in enforcing the Nuremberg laws that were racist, anti-Semitic and otherwise aimed to rid Germany of undesirables. Post-war Germany was a complex place, a defeated country, forced to collectively acknowledge the heinous acts committed in its name, yet now a potential strategic ally against the growing Soviet influence in the east. We see a little of this through Haywood's eyes, as we not only see what happens in the courtroom, but also on the homefront, with Haywood befriending Frau Bertholt and his housekeeping staff. The prosecution, led by Colonel Ted Lawson (Richard Widmark) brings forward reluctant witnesses, including Rudolph Peterson, a developmentally challenged man who was sterilized by the order of one of the judges (hauntingly played by Montgomery Clift); Judy Garland was Irene Hoffman Wallner who was accused of breaking the law by having an inappropriate relationship with an older, Jewish man; the man was put to death for race defilement. Both Clift and Garland were powerful and their relatively brief time on screen will remain with me for a long time. Dr. Ernst Janning was the head judge and therefore signed off on the orders put forward by the prosecutors and other judges. He is also the most reluctant to participate in his own defense. Lancaster brings a quiet and strong dignity to a man I wanted to instinctively hate, but when he speaks up to spare Irene Wallner from further humiliation and accepts his fate without protestations of injustice. Janning presents the very uncomfortable idea that he did what he did without hope for personal gain, but was following the law, perhaps in his own way mitigating some of the horrors that he may or may not have known were happening in Germany and conquered countries; he and his co-defendants were consistent in denying they knew what was happening in the concentration camps. Rolfe presents a vigorous defense of his clients, almost uncomfortably so, because it seems at some moments he is defending the Third Reich and the 'glory of the Fatherland'. Colonel Lawson points out that the defendants could have spoken out in the early days of Hitler's rise, but they sat idly by, and he denies their claims that they were simply following the laws. Watching a film like Judgement at Nuremberg is important at any time, but it seems more so these days, as people blindly follow the rantings of another power-crazed man focused on demonizing those different than him; it doesn't take too much imagination to see similarities between a Nazi rally and a Donald Trump rally, not if you're paying attention. The movie is fiction, but based on actual events, and we could benefit from the lessons it espouses.

Dixie Chicks 2016

I've actually seen the Dixie Chicks twice this year, the first time at Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio (a little outside of of Cleveland), I think it was their second stop on their US tour, and then a little over a week ago in at the Resch Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin. A great way to start and end the summer, in my opinion. You may ask if they were playing in Minnesota, and the answer is, yes, two nights at the State Fair, but I have not heard great things about the sound there, and it seemed like more fun to see them on trips back home. Or, to misuse one of their song titles, I took the long way around. The song selection and videos used weren't all that different from the shows, maybe they did one different song in Green Bay, but that's fine with me, they played just about every song I wanted to hear.

Augustana (or some combination of) opened both shows; really didn't work for me. I'm not sure if it was the venues were too big for their sound, which was piano/acoustic guitar based. My mind was wandering, and someone near me commented that they were falling asleep.

Before the Chicks came on stage, sounds of Prince came over the P.A. with "Let's Go Crazy". It was a great way to get the crowd revved up. After that song, the Dixie Chicks took the stage with "The Long Way Around"; the stage set was black and white and the outfits were black and white as well, with mostly white instruments. I loved the contrast and didn't think it was stark or harsh. The crowd was on their feet for most of the night. They played songs from every stage in their back catalog, and sometimes I think my favorites are from Taking the Long Way, like "Lubbock or Leave It", "Easy Silence", "Silent House", or the anthemic "Not Ready to Make Nice" (which, to me, still has the 'eff you feel, which I love); but then the crowd (including me) got just as excited for the 'oldies', like "Wide Open Spaces" from the album of the same name; and from Fly, I think these songs got the biggest cheers, "Ready to Run", "Cowboy Take Me Away", "Sin Wagon", "Some Days You Gotta Dance", and the neo-feminist/Thelma and Louise ode "Goodbye Earl". The Dixie Chicks: Natalie Maines on lead vocals and guitar, sisters Emily Strayer on banjo, guitar and backing vocals and Marti Maguire on fiddle and backing vocals are a power trio; they really looked like they were having a great time. There wasn't a whole of lot chatter, but Maines was engaging when she did speak to the crowd. At the Cleveland/Blossom show, she commented on the Cavs and how it was clear the city was really supporting them and in Green Bay she hinted that she (or the band) picked Green Bay to win the next day in their band football pool. She has a great sense of humor, about herself, the band and stuff in general. In addition to their own songs, they did a few covers throughout the night, including songs by Patty Griffin, Bob Dylan, Stevie Nicks and Beyonce. I think they could do a ripping job on a Clash song, "London Calling", maybe "Rock the Casbah"? The walk-in music (the music playing before the show starts) reflected the variety and diversity in the Dixie Chicks taste and repertoire; apparently it greatly disturbed the less than enlightened man behind me, who was confused by the different styles. That wasn't the only thing he was confused by, but I'll skip it for now. Around halfway through, the band went off for an outfit change and came back for some stripped down songs ("Traveling Soldier", Beyonce's "Daddy Lessons"). The band was tight and first rate. They put the video screen behind them to good use, with a variety of videos, some just landscape shots, others with humorous film clips, others were digital creations. I hope it was clear to the Dixie Chicks that they were missed. I also hope it means they'll come back with some new music.