Documentaries, short and long form: Robert Kennedy, the Iraq War, Dark Horse, Public Education

You may have noticed an increase in the number of documentaries reviewed recently. I suppose it's like when people crave vegetables (that rarely happens to me, but I've heard about it); I just wanted something MORE in my film watching, and the fictional films were proving to be more miss than hit. So, using MELSA's Interlibrary Loan program (man, I love that), I have been binge watching documentaries. The downside to that is I feel like I've had my heart broken, even when I look for some glimmer of hope. 

12/21/16 I am a Promise: The Children of Stanton Elementary School, Best Documentary, 1993

I always hope that when I watch an older documentary that whatever the 'issue' that is being addressed, by the time I watch the film, it's been 'fixed' or 'improved'. I don't think that is unreasonable, especially when the film is about the education of children in the inner city. I mean, that has to get better, right? I am a Promise: The Children of Stanton Elementary School takes a closeup look at the Stanton Elementary School in North Philadelphia in the early 1990s. North Philadelphia is mostly black, mostly poor, and made up of children from single parent homes, fighting drugs and gangs on every corner. The principal is Dr. Deanna Burney, a white woman, with a passion for 'her kids' and education, equitable education for inner city kids, who often get so much less funding than their suburban, white counterparts. Dr. Burney walks through the playground, calling out to the kids by name, asking about their families, how they're feeling, are they going to do good work, etc. The movie focuses on a few of the children, their interaction with Dr. Burney, and the interaction with the parents. School can be hard enough, but when you add hunger, potentially violent conditions, a single parent doing their best to work and take care of their children, but falling short, attention and behavior issues, plus inadequate funding, it's a Sisyphean task. Dr. Burney and her staff do their best to educate the kids between and among the distractions, but it is so hard. We watch as parents breakdown as they struggle to get the children to understand that school may be the difference between breaking the cycle of poverty and drugs and just giving up due to desperation. Teachers are frustrated with having to be disciplinarians instead of educators. I watched the film and saw such potential that would probably go untapped because the children and the teachers just didn't have the resources. It makes me very angry, because it seems like some of the issues could be addressed so easily. I did find my little light of hope because you could see the love that most of the staff had for the children, and the love that was given back. The DVD didn't have any special features to show us where the kids or teachers are today, but I did see that one of the young girls went to college and was opening her own business. The filmmakers filmed over the course of the school year, and you feel that they understand and know the children and teachers, and are personally invested in the school and the people. I think this is a must watch for educators, new and veteran, and really anyone interested in education issues in our country.

12/22/16 Poster Girl, nominated for Best Documentary Short, 2010

12/22/16 Iraq Paper Scissors, Documentary, 2010

America has got to do better by its veterans. Period. After watching documentaries like The Invisible War, and now Poster Girl and Iraq Paper Scissors, I believe that even more strongly. Poster Girl and Iraq Paper Scissors are companion pieces by the same director, Sara Neeson, and they both tell the story of veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Robynn Murray is the focus of Poster Girl; Murray, a former sergeant in the Army, suffers from physical ailments from her service, but also, and harder to quantify, are the emotional and mental injuries she has. The problem with PTSD is you can't see it on an x-ray or MRI, maybe they're faking. But it's real, and we watch as Robynn struggles with life after the military, trying to get benefits from the Veterans' Administration, navigate the bureaucracy, and trying to cope with her angry outbursts. Robynn finds help from other veterans and art therapy. She finds a group called the Combat Paper Project which turns the veterans' uniforms and manuals into paper and then into art. The whole process, from cutting up their uniforms, to making the paper and then their art, and sharing the art with their comrades as well as family, friends and others just interested in the project is cathartic and allows the vets, including Robynn, to begin healing. They find their voices and an outlet for their anger, anger at the military, the government for not listening or helping, and their anger at themselves for participating in the brutality of war. Many of the soldiers we meet in Iraq Paper Scissors, including Robynn, joined the military when they were kids, 18, 19 or 20, and they come back as adults who have seen and done too much, some things they can't even put into words. But they can put into art. Poster Girl lets us focus on the story of one person, and Iraq Paper Scissors introduces us to the Combat Paper Project and the men and women who participate. We hear their stories and feel their pain, but also their hope and rebirth as they address their demons head on, leaning on each other, really the only other people who can understand their experiences. The Combat Paper Project teams with Warrior Writers, another veterans group, that focuses on the written word. Twenty two veterans commit suicide every day. EVERY DAY. That's not acceptable, it should never be acceptable. These projects, and others like them that are growing around the country, can help pull vets back from the brink. There is also a suicide hotline specifically for veterans. These men and women answered their country's call; it's our turn to be there for them. As one of the veterans said, 'We don't want you to stand behind us, we want you beside us. We want your empathy.'

Resources:
Facts about PTSD
Warrior Writers
Combat Paper Project
Veterans Suicide Prevention Hotline 1-800-273-TALK
National Call Center for Homeless Veterans 1-877-4AID-VET 

12/23/16 Robert Kennedy Remembered, Best Live Action Short, 1968

Directed by Charles Guggenheim (who directed 11 Oscar nominated documentaries, winning four times), this all-too brief film relies on footage of Robert 'Bobby' Kennedy, and not direct interviews with him or any family. The film was put together after Kennedy's assassination in 1968; it was narrated by Richard Burton. The footage includes news footage as well as home movies from the Kennedys. Bobby Kennedy was John Kennedy's younger brother, who served as JFK's confidante, and the U.S. Attorney General. I knew a little about Robert Kennedy, but not as much as I probably should, and it was really interesting to learn more about his passion for civil rights and his strong sense of right and wrong and duty to his country, and the world. Listening to some of his speeches, it is easy to see how people were so moved by him. When you hear people like the Kennedys and Martin Luther King, who inspire without inciting, you realize how far we have come, in the wrong direction. The film is not an exhausting examination of Kennedy, but it is a wonderful primer on him, and a glimpse into the America of the mid to late 1960s. The discussion of race relations is one of those sad moments (for me) when I realize that we have not advanced as much as we should have, and in some parts of the country, we have taken backwards steps. We need Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy more than ever.

12/23/16 Dark Horse, 2016 not yet nominated 

Who doesn't like a good horse tale? Who doesn't like a good horse tale told with a Welsh accent? Exactly...nobody. Dark Horse is about Dream Alliance and the people who loved him. In a small Welsh mining town, Janet Vokes came up with the idea to create a syndicate to breed and race a horse. She teamed up with Howard Davies, an accountant by profession, to start the syndicate by asking people in the town to join, paying ten pounds a week for care and training of the yet unborn horse. The documentary tells the story from the beginning: the acquisition of Dream's mother, his birth, training, and first races. We meet members from the syndicate as they tell their story directly to the camera, we hear how racing, in the United Kingdom like in the U.S., is considered a sport for the elite, and that they were looked down on by the racing establishment as well as the sporting press. In some ways, they may have relished the role of the outsiders, but other times, the lack of respect seemed to grate on them; they just weren't taken seriously. At least, not until Dream started to win. Of course, it wouldn't be a compelling story without a bump in the road, and since the movie is fairly new, I really don't want to ruin anything. It isn't ruining it, however, to say that the members of the syndicate were more than just owners, they really love Dream Alliance, and he became a point of pride for the townspeople, whether they were owners or not. I read online, somewhere, that Dark Horse may be a contender for Best Documentary; it has the elements that people like, so we'll see. It's a wonderful story, and we get a few views of the beautiful Welsh countryside, and gorgeous horses. You really can't go wrong.

12/23/16 Kon-Tiki, Best Documentary, 1950

In today's world of 500 television channels and dozens of adventure reality shows, the idea of a group of men building a raft and sailing across the Pacific would fit right it. Kon-Tiki is the documentary of Thor Heyerdahl and his international crew who, in 1947, sailed from Peru to Polynesia in the Pacific, on a handmade raft of balsa wood logs, and no engine. This was before satellites or Go-Pro cameras, they had a 16mm camera and a regular camera. Heyerdahl was trying to prove his theories about human migration patterns and what could have been possible with limited technology. It is pretty amazing that there were no major disasters or incidents in the three plus months of the journey, but since this was filmed by the actual crew, if there storms or rough weather (Heyerdahl alludes to one rough patch where they lost their parrot), the crew couldn't be expected to actually film, they would be working to keep sailing. If you have an adventurous spirit, like sailing, or want to see a real reality show, you should try and find this (interlibrary loan, it's not available on Netflix), and also watch the 2012 dramatized version which was nominated for Best Foreign Film. Heyerdahl was a man of big ideas who was pretty determined and fearless when it came to trying them out in the real world; there are not too many real adventurers any more (there are debates about his scientific conclusions which I am not qualified to evaluate, but the adventure was real).

Documentaries: Maya Lin, Inocente, Anne Frank Remembered, The Thin Blue Line

12/14/16 Maya Lin: A strong clear vision, Best Documentary, 1994

If you are old enough to remember when the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was commissioned and created, you may recall the controversy around it. It was created by a very young woman, of Chinese parentage and was in stark contrast to what most people thought a memorial should be. If anyone was up to these challenges, sometimes very insulting and aggressive dissension, it was Maya Lin. Maya Lin was a young student when she entered a contest to find the design for a memorial to the veterans of the Vietnam War. She designed a memorial of long walls with the names of those men and women killed in the war etched into it in chronological order. The walls are sunk into the ground. Having been there, I can attest to the powerful feeling I had as a citizen; the documentary shows veterans being overwhelmed by their emotions and memories. In the documentary, Lin is interviewed about her though process for the design of the memorial, explaining her decisions from the order of the names, to the positioning of the walls to why the memorial is sunken below ground. The film allows the viewer insight into her other works, the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama, Women's Table at Yale University (her alma mater). While Lin is well-spoken in the film sharing her visual ideas, and passionate about her visions, she seems very uncomfortable when receiving accolades or presenting her work to an audience. She believes that the work should be the focus, whether it is the memories of Vietnam for the veterans, or the participants of the Civil Rights Movement, it is the work and the viewers' interpretations that are important. If people are moved, then she has done her job. The movie spends the most time on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the controversy of Lin's selection, the reaction of the veterans, as well as Lin's insights; it also follows her as she works on newer pieces, in her home state of Ohio, as well as throughout the United States. It was very interesting to watch her work, especially because I have wondered how large pieces get done, it's not just the artist, that's for sure. Maya Lin recently received the Presidential Medal of  Freedom by President Obama. She is an American treasure and I totally recommend watching this documentary.

12/16/16 Letter from an Unknown Woman, 1948, #48 BBC, National Film Registry

So many thoughts went through my head as I watched Letter from an Unknown Woman, starring Joan Fontaine (Rebecca) and Louis Jourdan (Gigi), co-produced by John Houseman and directed by Max Ophuls. One thought was, why I have never heard of this movie? Two, how come Hollywood has not remade it (a Chinese remake was done in the early 2000s)? And three, not that receiving an Oscar, or being nominated, means a movie is great, how did this movie not get nominated for any Oscars? Set in the early 20th century, Joan Fontaine is Lisa, a Viennese teenager who lives in the same apartment building as Stefan Brand (Jourdan), a concert pianist. Brand really doesn't notice Lisa, but she is completely smitten with him, and moons after him, ignoring and neglecting everything else. Her mother remarries, and the family moves to Linz, against Lisa's wishes. In Linz, Lisa is wooed by Johann, a young soldier, and both families have hopes of wedding bells, except for Lisa. She upsets that applecart and runs back to Vienna, hoping to find Stefan again. They do meet, but although Stefan is immediately smitten by her, he does not recall Lisa from the apartment building. They spend the entire night together, and Stefan promises more evenings and days and dinners together, except he forgot he had to leave on tour for two weeks. He also left Lisa with a permanent reminder of their night together, a child. In our 21st century world, that is probably not shocking or scandalous, but in the early 1900s, that was a pretty big deal, and having this as a significant plot point in the 1940s would also be outrageous (perhaps that is why there were no Oscar nominations?). Whether through luck, brains, guile or something else, Lisa and her child are not thrown into destitution, and she eventually reconnects with Johann, who has moved up in the military and is quite successful, and he is also forgiving of her past, to a point. I liked the movie, and when I tried to watch it as someone would back in 1948, I thought it was groundbreaking; I thought Lisa was unrealistic and she annoyed me (as a character), but I did like Joan Fontaine, and Louis Jourdan was handsome, dashing and a bit of a rogue. It's not necessarily a date night movie (or perhaps it is, I'm not the best judge), but if you are looking for something different from 'the usual', give this a try, if you can find it.

12/17/16 Anne Frank Remembered, Best Documentary, 1995

The Diary of Anne Frank was a dramatized telling of the Frank family's time in hiding in Amsterdam. Anne Frank Remembered is more about Anne as she grew up, her friends who knew her as a little girl, family friends, including Miep Gies, the woman who worked for Otto Frank, helped set them up in the attic and found Anne's diary after the family was captured by the Nazis. We get a look at how her friends saw Anne and her sister Margot; Margot was serious and studious, while Anne was mischievous, spoiled (some said), argumentative, and as several of her friends said, a regular teenager. The documentary begins before the Second World War, even before Anne was born, with the Frank family living in Germany, through their move to The Netherlands, trying to escape the rising anti-Semitism in Germany. I really enjoyed this documentary, especially for the fact that it does not try and paint Anne as a saint, she's a teenager, a young girl, who has arguments with her parents and other adults. She is eminently relatable to other teenagers, whether those who read her story in the 1950s or the 2000s. We hear from her friends who survived the camps, who knew Anne and her sister in their last days. I strongly recommend watching this documentary, with your kids, with a group of friends. It's important that Anne's story, and the story of her friends and family, not be forgotten, especially today.

12/17/16 Inocente, Best Documentary Short, 2012

It has been a real challenge trying to balance, fun and entertaining movies, with educational and enlightening films that may be a bit heavy and sad. Inocente is a little bit of everything, all packed into forty minutes. Inocente Izucar is a young, homeless girl living in San Diego with her mother and two brothers. She finds solace and relief in her art, starting the day by creating wearable art on her face. Inocente and her family have been homeless for many years, never staying in one place for more than three months. She's ashamed to let her classmates know that she is homeless, so she doesn't tell them. Inocente goes to ARTS (A Reason To Survive) in San Diego where she finds mentors and encouragement to pursue her painting. I think it is so easy to look down on the homeless, or undocumented workers and blame them for their circumstance, but a child (Inocente is 15 at the time of filming, but she has been living under these conditions for most of her life) has very little say in their conditions. As Inocente says, nobody wakes up and says they want to be homeless. She blames herself for the violent explosion of her father, which is a very common (and misplaced) sentiment from kids. But she doesn't use being homeless as an excuse, she uses it to propel her forward, and as inspiration in her art. Her art is colorful, hopeful, but also thoughtful and thought-provoking. I cried, I smiled, I learned. I think you may do the same.

12/17/16 The Thin Blue Line, 1988, National Film Registry

I've been learning more about our justice system (it's broken) and about men and women sentenced to life in prison or death sentences and that it's not always about proof or evidence or the pursuit of truth. I suggest reading Just Mercy by attorney and advocate Bryan Stevenson and the novel A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines, which while fiction is a fair representation of the legal system and the noblesse oblige of life in the South in the 1940s. This may seem like a digression, but it's not really. The Thin Blue Line is a documentary by Errol Morris about Randall Dale Adams and his sentence, first of death, later commuted to life in prison; the conviction was later overturned. Adams was wrongly convicted of killing a police officer after the police relied on evidence from a sixteen year old young man who had picked up Adams after his car ran out of gas; David Ray Harris later confessed to the shooting. The police also relied on 'eye witness' testimony by people who turned out later to not be very reliable, and in fact, may have been more interested in the reward money than helping solve crime. Eye witness testimony has been demonstrated to be highly unreliable under most circumstances. Morris interviews Adams in a Texas prison, who emphatically denied his guilt. He also interviewed Harris in prison; while Adams is angry about his situation, Harris seemed to me not to really care, admitting his past bad behaviors (although not immediately to killing the police officer). Adams's original defense attorneys are interviewed, as well as the judge, detectives and the witnesses who testified against Adams. The movie was released in 1988 and Adams's conviction was overturned in 1989; Harris was not charged with the death of the Dallas police officer. Neither Adams nor Morris could know the conviction would be overturned when the film was being made (Morris did not want it labeled a 'documentary'). The Thin Blue Line has informed and influenced many later documentaries, which is reflected in its place on the National Film Registry.

A Christmas Story, The Departed, Bogart in In a Lonely Place

12/24/16 The Departed, Best Director, Best Picture, Best Film Editing, Best Adapted Screenplay, 2006

I saw The Departed around the time it first came out, hard to believe it was ten years ago, but I wanted to watch it again. I was surprised at how suspenseful it still was to me. Martin Scorsese told a tight, tense story, with a couple twists and turns. Set in Boston, the story follows Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) as an undercover cop trying to get into the mob, lead by Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson in a truly twisted role) and Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) who is Costello's own mole in the State Police. The supporting cast includes Alec Baldwin as Captain George Ellerby, Martin Sheen as Captain Queenan, Mark Wahlberg as Staff Sargeant Sean Dignam, Ray Winstone as one of Costello's right hand men, French; and Vera Farmiga as Dr. Madolyn Madden, who gets involved with both Costigan and Sullivan. Queenan and Wahlberg are the only people who know about Costigan. The Departed is a story about double-crosses, who can you trust, and is anyone who they say they are. It won Best Picture and Scorsese won his first Best Director Oscar; longtime editor, Thelma Schoonmaker won an Oscar for Best Film Editing. I liked the movie, I thought the performances were good, you really felt Costigan's stress and anxiety at getting caught as a mole; Costello (Nicholson) comes across as you would expect a ruthless mob boss to be, perhaps using Whitey Bulger as a reference. It's not your typical Christmas movie, that's for sure.


12/24/16 In a Lonely Place, 1950 #89 BBC, National Film Registry

As much as I have had my issues with the BBC list of 100 Best American films, I have also had some interesting surprises, like my first Nicholas Ray film Johnny Guitar, my second Ray film, In a Lonely Place, was definitely not anything I expected. Humphrey Bogart and Gloria Grahame star in this film noir (do they make film noir movies anymore?) that stars Bogart as Dixon Steele (really, that's his name), a Hollywood screenwriter who is living off of his past successes, waiting for inspiration to strike; Grahame is Laurel Gray, his neighbor who becomes much more. Steele falls under suspicion for the murder of a young coat check girl. It's kind of hard to talk about the movie without giving too much away, and because I want you to see it, I don't want to spoil anything. Here is what I will tell you: Steele has a bit of a temper and can be a bit possessive and needy; Gray inspires him to start writing again, but does she think that Steele committed the murder, or is even capable of such a thing? Over the course of this movie project, I have watched a lot of film noir movies, and I am rarely disappointed; there is something that is so different from more recent movies that seems refreshing, maybe it's seeing actors from a bygone era, some we know, many we don't, maybe it's the lack of special effects and explosions and CGI, maybe it's watching a movie where the characters don't have smart phones, computers or any kind of modern technology. Maybe try a double feature, In a Lonely Place and Laura with Gene Tierney? Step back in time, put the phone down and enjoy.


12/25/16 A Christmas Story, 1983, National Film Registry

Fragile. - The infamous Leg Lamp

I don't know what they do in other countries on Christmas Day, but here in the U.S., we have A Christmas Story on television for 24 hours. No matter when you turn on TNT (the home of the marathon) over the Christmas holiday, you will enter 1940s middle America and the family of Ralphie Parker (Peter Billingsley). Some people hate this tradition, but I happen to love it. It's not so much a nostalgic feeling, because, while I am old, I am not that old; but it is a loving look back on a simpler time, told from the viewpoint of Ralphie, a somewhat clumsy and awkward nine year old. Storyteller and creator of A Christmas Story, Jean Shepherd is also the narrator, and he adds the right level of drama and irony. Ralphie's big wish for Christmas is a Red Ryder BB gun (you'll shoot your eyes out), and he dreams about it, asking Santa, trying to manipulate his parents, using it to save his parents from marauders. During the movie, we see Ralphie play and fight with his classmates, especially Scut Farkus, things that nine years may still do today. Ralphie's brother Randy (Ian Petrella) doesn't have a lot of speaking lines, but he does get some of the funnier physical bits, including eating like a pig at the table, at his mother's (Melinda Dillon) prodding (according to Ralphie, Randy hasn't voluntarily eaten in three years), and being dressed up so snugly he cannot get up once knocked down. Ralphie's parents Dillon and the wonderfully curmudgeonly Darren McGavin seem perfect in their imperfection. Mrs. Parker has it a little more together and she lovingly tolerates Mr. Parker's swearing outbursts (portrayed with nonsense words) and his penchant for entering contests in his quest to win the big prize. McGavin plays Mr. Parker with no sense of irony or self awareness, and I mean that in the best possible way. I could recount all of the scenes that make me laugh out loud, but I think you should watch for yourself. To me, A Christmas Story is a lot like Young Frankenstein, where everyone knows those iconic scenes, and you just have to say "You'll shoot your eyes out" or "I double-dog dare you" or "Fragile. It's Italian" and people know what movie you're talking about.A Christmas Story holds a special place for me for another reason; key scenes were filmed in my hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. The scenes showing downtown were shot in Public Square, around the Soldiers and Sailors monument and Higbee's Department Store; the Parker house is now known as "A Christmas Story House" on the West Side of Cleveland and you can visit. As I write this, I am watching it for the 3rd time in a row. I'll move on to other things, eventually.

The latest Star Trek, a Joan Crawford Western and an inspiring documentary short

12/10/16 Star Trek Beyond, not yet nominated 2016

Every time a new Star Trek movie comes out (specifically the last iteration), I feel a sense of dread. I can't help it, especially because I know it will probably be nominated for an Oscar and I'll have to watch it anyway. And, I suppose the thing is, that the movies really aren't that terrible, in fact, I usually end up enjoying them. That's what happened with Star Trek Beyond. I enjoy the banter, sarcasm and jokes between the crew, especially Dr. McCoy and Spock, as well as some pretty great special effects. We get a look at Starbase Yorktown (I don't think that has been shown in other films), because the crew of the USS Enterprise is on leave. The Enterprise and crew take off to help rescue a ship that is caught in a nebula. It's probably not giving away too much to say it's a trap! (you were shocked, right?). Idris Elba is the 'villain' Krall/Captain Bathalzar Edison, the former commander of the USS Franklin who has mutated. He and Kirk (Chris Pine) have a pretty intense battle towards the end of the movie. Since the movie just came out on DVD, I don't really want to give away too much about the different plot points (well, except that the rescue of the ship in the nebula was a trap, but that was obvious). When I watch Star Trek movies, I don't look for a sophisticated themes or meanings, I just want a fun movie, hopefully with great effects, maybe some snappy dialog. Based that very generous criteria, I enjoyed it. My guess is it will be nominated for at least one of the technical Oscars (effects, sound mixing, editing). If you are looking for a fun movie this weekend or over the holiday time, this would be a good choice. Oh, a word about Idris Elba: he is a good bad guy, and I still think he would make a kick ass James Bond.


12/11/16 Johnny Guitar, National Film Registry, #64 BBC 1954

A Joan Crawford western? That could be interesting. In fact, I liked Johnny Guitar, directed by Nicholas Ray, starring Joan Crawford as Vienna, a saloon keeper out west who is battling with cattle ranchers over the impending railroad and the farmers that will come with it. The two real stars of the movie are the only two female roles, Vienna and Emma Small (Mercedes McCambridge), who are bitter rivals, over men and over control of the town. In preparation for the trouble, Vienna hires Johnny Guitar (Sterling Hayden), who used to be known as Johnny Logan, a gunslinger (I didn't really spoil it, if you've seen even two westerns, you have seen this trope many times). There is also The Dancin' Kid (I'm not making this up), who is the object of affection for Emma and Vienna. Offscreen, Emma's brother is killed and it's blamed on The Dancin' Kid and his gang, but there is no real proof; it doesn't matter, Emma works up the other landowners into a lather, and they threaten the Kid and Vienna unless they leave. Johnny and Vienna get caught in a precarious situation and try to escape, but this really comes back to a battle between Vienna and Emma. Crawford and McCambridge go toe to toe in many scenes, neither one backing down. I do not think this type of casting or story happens very often (ever?) in westerns or other genres, for that matter, which is a shame. It was fun to watch. In too many westerns, women are portrayed as fragile and in need of men for support; they don't often strap on a holster with every intention of using the gun. There was something that was a bit campy, and sometimes I wasn't sure if I should laugh or not, but that feeling passed. After so many meh movies from the BBC list, it's nice to be so pleasantly surprised.

12/11/16 King Gimp, Best Documentary Short, 1999

King Gimp is a documentary short that follows Daniel Keplinger, a young artist with cerebral palsy. Daniel wrote the documentary and narrates it through typing and speaking. The filmmakers followed Dan from the age of 12 for around 13 years, going to a school for handicapped kids, through being mainstreamed at a local high school where he discovered his talent for art. His mother was determined to give Dan the same opportunities and experiences that other kids his age were having, as much as she was able, including going to a regular school. Dan also went, and graduated from, Towson University in Maryland, getting a degree in Art. He struggled with some of the professors who told him that he would not succeed and could not be an artist, until he found a professor who believed in his ability and talent. King Gimp' may have a negative connotation to some, but to Daniel and his friends, it's a badge of honor, representing his strong spirit. To me, the sign of a good short film is that you want more, and I wanted more.

Woody Allen, The Chronicles of Narnia, Love Streams

11/25/16 Crimes and Misdemeanors, 1989 #57 BBC

Crimes and Misdemeanors is one of the few Woody Allen films I saw in the theater; I think the only other one was Scoop, which I saw in Paris (in English, thank god). I remember liking it and the moral questions that Allen raised, and loving the performances by some of my favorite actors: Sam Waterston, Jerry Orbach, Martin Landau and Alan Alda (the rest of the cast is stellar, but I will watch almost anything these guys are in). Martin Landau is Judah Rosenthal, a successful ophthalmologist who has a very big secret; Woody Allen is Clifford Stern, a documentary filmmaker. I found the story about Judah and his secrets and lies (the name of a film by a totally different director, Mike Leigh) more interesting than Clifford's. Judah is having an affair with a flight attendant, Dolores (Anjelica Huston), and while it seems to dying out for him, Dolores wants to tell Judah's wife, Miriam (Claire Bloom). Judah, who is receiving a big award as the movie opens, is scared of Dolores spilling the beans and ruining the myth and illusion that he has created of being the perfect husband and citizen of the world. Judah brings his brother, Jack (Jerry Orbach) into the picture, to 'take care of things'. For a while, Judah suffers pangs of his conscience and feelings of guilt and fear of a different secret coming out. Clifford, who is struggling to make pet documentary film on a Holocaust survivor, takes on the job of doing a documentary on his brother-in-law, Lester (Alan Alda), a successful, obnoxious television producer. Saying that Clifford has zero enthusiasm for his subject is a minor understatement; Lester is everything that Clifford isn't, nor does he want to be. Clifford tries to begin a relationship with Halley (Mia Farrow), Lester's assistant producer. Clifford is about as successful at that as he is at everything else. Clifford's other brother-in-law, Ben (Sam Waterston), is a rabbi who is slowly losing his sight, and is a patient of Judah's. If you are waiting for the boors and bad guys to get their comeuppance, you may be waiting for a long time. If you think that guilt will eat away at Judah like he is in a Dostoevsky story, I hope you're not too disappointed. Sometimes, the good guys don't win. This is more of a drama than a comedy, but it does have its moments, especially when Clifford and Lester share the screen. Ingmar Bergman is one of Allen's influences, and this definitely could have been something that Bergman did, in fact, he probably did (without the Jewish influence), but I cannot come up with a specific movie at the moment.

12/2/16 Mighty Aphrodite, Best  Supporting Actress, 1995

 I was beginning to think I would never get to watch this 1995 Oscar winner by writer/director/actor Woody Allen. The first time I got the movie from the library, it wouldn't play; I think it might have even been a VHS tape, not even a scratched disk. Then it was gone from circulation, and it's in the 'unknown' category on Netflix. But, ta-da, Interlibrary Loan has come into my life and all kinds of things I thought I would never see are now possible. Mira Sorvino won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as Linda Ash, a call girl with a heart of gold, or at least acting ambitions. Linda has a baby and gives him up for adoption. Max's adoptive parents are Amanda Sloane Weinrib (Helena Bonham Carter) and Lenny Weinrib (Woody Allen); Amanda is an art gallery curator and Lenny is a New York sportswriter. Lenny seems far more obsessed with learning about his new baby's birth parents than Amanda, and he goes to some questionable lengths to do it. In a Woody Allen movie, questionable very often means funny, and that is true here. Allen uses the idea of the Greek chorus to help tell his tale and question Lenny's motives and actions, in a very humorous way, I was reminded of Mel Brooks. F. Murray Abraham is the Chorus Leader, and we also get commentary from Cassandra and Tiresius, both prophets, and others from Greek mythology. I thought it was a clever and unusual way (in films, at least) to break the wall between the audience and the actors. Lenny winds up tracking down Linda and goes on 'dates' with her, but not for sex, to learn more about her, but he doesn't tell her why. I'm not overly familiar with Sorvino's other films, so I don't know if this is a typical performance, but in the context of the film, she was really good; she was funny, she wasn't overshadowed or overpowered by Allen. Allen was not overly annoying, either; sometimes his 'schlemiel' characters can be too much, but not in this case. Being a fan of Bonham-Carter, I did think she was kind of wasted here; maybe 'wasted' isn't the right word, but I didn't get enough. I would love to see her in the type of role that Cate Blanchett played in Blue Jasmine. But anyway, that's a different story. I think this movie has probably been forgotten by a lot of people, but it's worth a look (if you can find it). An interesting tidbit: Dianne Wiest won the Best Supporting Actress the year before in Woody Allen's Bullets over Broadway.

12/3/16 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Best Makeup, 2005

I never read the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis even though a lot of my classmates did. I don't know why, but I just didn't, so in some ways I'm not tied by emotion or nostalgia to them. When I watch the movies or television representations, I just enjoy them for what they are, which are wonderful, fantastic adventures. The movie starts off in war time England, with bombs raining down on London, so families begin sending their children off to live in the country, many times with total strangers. That is the case for the four Pevensie children: Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy. During a game of hide and seek in the large house owned by the reclusive professor Digory Kirke (Jim Broadbent), Lucy falls through the wardrobe and into the magical world of Narnia. Narnia is made up of fauns, talking animals like beavers, foxes, wolves and a really big lion, Aslan (Liam Neeson). Oh, and the White Witch (Tilda Swinton). Lucy comes back from her visit to her skeptical older brothers and sister, until the next time, they all go through to Narnia. The Narnians refer to the siblings as Daughters and Sons of Adam, and it seems that the children may bring with them a changing tide in Narnia, perhaps ridding them of the evil witch. Of course, nothing is as straightforward as that, and there are crazy escapes from the witch's rabid wolves, coming of age for the children as they learn more about themselves and the world they now inhabit, and battle of epic proportions. Neeson was made to be the voice of Aslan, who I think may be one of my favorite characters. Swinton is so fun as Jadis, the White Witch. She totally embraces the role and Jadis's villainous nature, but shows her campy side as well. After watching her in many different movies and roles, I'm convinced she could play any type of role or character she wants. Lewis's Christian theology can be seen in his writings, and much is made of the use of allegory and symbolism in The Chronicles of Narnia, but I honestly cannot intelligently comment on how that comes through in the film, or if it even does. If it did for you, then I missed it. Please don't interpret the previous comments as pejorative or anti-theological; they are not, I just enjoyed the movie as a fun, fantastiscal interpretation of a childhood classic. I think it's a wonderful cinematic experience, with beautiful visuals, very talented actors, and a story that I think a lot of children will enjoy. There were two subsequent movies, but I seem to recall that they were not necessarily as successful at the box office.

12/3/16 Mississippi Burning, Best Cinematography, 1988 

I would love to say that Mississippi Burning is a snapshot from a long ago time, and that we have moved forward in this country to a point where your race is as little a factor in daily life as whether you are right-handed or left-handed. Maybe that is naive or just plain dumb, I like to think that was hopeful. Sadly, as events have played out over the past 18 months, racism in this country is not a thing of the past. Perhaps I will just say I hope things never get as bad as they were in the South in the 1960s as the Civil Rights Movement was gaining momentum, and civil rights workers, as well as ordinary citizens, were subjected to harassment and violence in pursuit of equality for black Americans.  Mississippi Burning is a dramatization of the murder of three Civil Rights workers in Mississippi in the summer of 1964. Gene Hackman (in an Oscar-nominated role) and Willem Dafoe star as the two lead FBI agents looking into the disappearance, later determined to be murder, of three college students trying to register black voters in the deep South. Hackman is Rupert Anderson, born and raised in Mississippi and Dafoe is Alan Ward, a northerner who is by the book and seemingly unaware of how to navigate the social and political minefield they have entered. The movie is as much about Anderson and Ward's relationship as it is about examining the events of the day. The two agents run into a brick wall made of up of corrupt law enforcement and politicians, who may also be Klansman, who have no interest in finding the missing students or getting justice for them. Director Alan Parker (Fame, Birdy, Evita, Bugsy Malone) does not sugarcoat the violence that the black community experienced, or the fear people had in speaking out. There is an element of a mystery story as Ward and Anderson peel back the layers on the onion: who knew what, who did what, where are they in the power structure of the town or the Klan. The cast is comprised of many familiar faces: Frances McDormand and Brad Dourif are Mrs. Pell and her husband, Deputy Sheriff Clinton Pell (McDormand was nominated for Best Supporting Actress); R. Lee Ermey played Mayor Tilman; Michael Rooker (now in the Guardians of the Galaxy films) played Frank Bailey, a particularly violent man; Darius McCrary, is Aaron Williams, a young man who preaches and tries to encourage his community. It's not an easy movie to watch, but it is very well done and should be seen and used as a platform to discuss the Civil Rights Movement then and now.

12/9/16 Love Streams, 1984, #63 BBC 

I seem to question myself and my chosen hobby of movie blogging when I watch a film that is critically acclaimed, called inspirational, and I can't stand it, don't get it and want to turn it off. Am I missing something? Would I 'get it' if I studied film? These were my thoughts as I slogged through over two hours of (in my opinion) self-indulgent, wandering film-making called Love Streams. The later actor, writer and director John Cassavetes filled all three roles in  Love Streams. For film savants (not me), that should be all you need to know to bow down and be inspired by the lack of pretense, the laying bare of the soul, the raw nature of the main characters, Robert Harmon (Cassavetes) and his sister, Sarah Lawson (Gena Rowlands). Sadly, I am not one of those people, and it didn't resonate with me at all. Harmon is a playboy, writer, who uses women as his muse; he drinks too much, is a reluctant father and unreliable boyfriend/lover. His sister, Sarah, is at the tail end of a divorce, and is not handling it all that well, in fact, previous visits to mental institutions are referenced by her soon to be ex-husband. Sarah takes a trip to Europe to try and get better, but comes back a little more lost, confused and unfocused, and without her daughter, who makes it clear she would rather live with her father. Sarah heads out to California to be with Robert. Sarah goes through manic episodes, and Robert is not all that certain how to handle them, but he is afraid of losing her and upsetting her. As an example, Sarah takes a cab out somewhere, a small farm or something, looking for something cuddly, and comes home with miniature horses and a goat (I think) - all in the cab. It seems the cab driver didn't think any of this was weird. Rowlands' Sarah reminded me of her performance in Woman Under the Influence, also directed by Cassavetes, and the woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown persona. There were a few moments where I felt some compassion, but very few; most of the time I just found the whole thing unbelievable (I know it's just a film), and rambling. These two people are hurting and lost and need each other, but to me, the poor dialog and lack of focus (I'll put that down to the improvisational techniques used) just didn't reach me. This is not the first time, and certainly not the last, that I have disagreed with the BBC 100 list.

Saved by Spider-Man after Blue Velvet and Leaving Las Vegas

11/26/16 Blue Velvet, 1986 #60 BBC

Many people claim this to be one of David Lynch's best films. I'm not expert enough to say that. I will say there were some intriguing moments, well-laid out elements of film noir, but at the end of the day, I really didn't like it. I thought Dennis Hopper's sadistic character of Frank was way over the top; perhaps crazy sadists are like that, I don't know. It did put Hopper back in the public eye. I think Lynch lost me at the beginning when Jeffrey's (Kyle MacLachlan) father is stung (I think) by something and falls down and is then hospitalized with some pretty devastating injuries. It made no sense, and from that point (which was really like five minutes into the movie) I was really skeptical about everything. I'm not a huge fan of Isabella Rossellini who played Dorothy Vallens, the femme fatale and whipping girl of Frank Booth, and object of lust for Jeffrey. I don't think she's a great actress, and she seems to overdo everything here. This was more time than I planned to spend on a movie I didn't like. I don't have the energy to give you anything else. If you like sado-masochism, you'll probably enjoy this.

11/27/16 Spider-Man 2, Best Visual Effects, 2004

"Spider-Man, Spider-Man, does whatever a spider can." Spider-Man is omnipresent in the Marvel universe; whenever I go through my comic books looking for photo opportunities, I find that I have a lot of Spider-Man comics, almost more than any other. I think that's because the Spider-Man of the comics and the animated series is fun, filled with action and a wonderful palette of villains. Sadly, I don't think that always translates so well on the big screen (or as well and as amazing as I would like); it might be a case of being spoiled with too many options. Having said all of that, I did enjoy watching Toby McGuire as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the second film of this particular franchise. In the story, Peter finds it very difficult to find that work/super hero balance that every masked hero desires. He is falling behind in school, not keeping up with photo ops for The Daily Bugle, or his promises to his friend/girlfriend, Mary Jane (Kristen Dunst). Peter also gets the opportunity to meet one of his heroes, Dr. Otto Octavius/Dr. Ock (Alfred Molina) who creates, and is later taken over by his own invention. Of course, the mad scientist wreaks havoc on New York and Peter's personal life as his beloved Aunt May (Rosemary Harris) and Mary Jane are threatened. So, Spider-Man is back in action. Not only does Spider-Man have to battle Doc Ock, but he has to fight Harry Osborn (James Franco), who is Peter's best friend, but who has sworn to destroy Spider-Man. The effects and action sequences are great, and still hold up ten years later (so much has changed in visual effects, you never know if they'll look dated). Personally, I don't think McGuire/Parker is as wise-cracking as I would like and what I'm used to, I think Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man got better lines and was more Spidey than McGuire's version. I also think the problem/challenge with introducing new villains all the time (this is true for any super hero movie) is that sometimes so much time is spent on the origin story of the villain, there isn't enough time left for the good stuff; and since there's a new villain all the time, this happens with every new film. I  like origin stories, but sometimes it seems like a vicious cycle. I think that's why I still like the animated versions of the super hero universe, because they are shorter stories, that pack a lot into each episode. This may make sense only to people who watch too many super hero movies and television shows (which is not a bad thing at all).

11/28/16 Leaving Las Vegas, Best Actor, 1995

Sometimes I think there is a reason I didn't see a movie when it first came out. This is one of those times. Nicholas Cage won the Best Actor for his role as Ben Sanderson a writer whose life has been taken over by his alcoholism and desire for self-destruction. Between this movie and Blue Velvet, I kind of found myself wallowing in the cesspool of human frailties. Elisabeth Shue is Sera, a prostitute who forms a not all together healthy relationship with Ben. I almost turned off the movie, which I try not to do, to honor the list, but I was close. The last twenty minutes were some of the best acted and intense scenes I have watched; why I had to slog through the earlier scenes, I'll never know. This is another movie that I do not have the interest to review more in depth or offer any other insight (limited as it is).

Sometimes I just try to get through the list. This entry is an example of that.

Remaining on the list:
Oscar winners: 765
AFI 100: 4
BBC 100: 26
National Film Registry: 500

Documentary shorts and Mrs. Doubtfire

I want to say that I love my library system. I've been able to get so many movies for free, or just $1, from my county system, but I have reached the point where they don't have some of the movies I need. But then I discovered Interlibrary Loan which lets me borrow (without leaving my chair) videos from other library systems within Minnesota - for FREE (well, tax dollars, but such a deal!). So, almost everything reviewed in the next few entries is an ILL (as we call it in the biz). Onward.

11/25/16 Music by Prudence, Best Documentary Short, 2010
11/25/16 The Blood of Yingzhou District, Best Documentary Short, 2006

I feel like it's been a long time since I last watched a documentary, so my brain got nourished as well as my stomach over the Thanksgiving holiday. I watched Music by Prudence a couple of years ago, but like so many of those already watched films, I wanted to take another look. I still love it. "Prudence" is Prudence Mabhena, a young woman who was born with arthrogryposis, a disease that affects the joints, and has left her wheelchair-bound. The movie is about Prudence and her friends at King George IV's School for the Disabled in Zimbabwe who find an outlet for their feelings and observations in music. In Zimbabwe, as in many countries, the disabled are feared and ostracized, so for Prudence and her friends, Honest, Energy, Goodwell, Marvelous and the others, to form a band, Liyana, and perform for diverse audiences is quite something. I really liked the music, which has about five types of percussion, keyboards and a few vocalists. The spirit is pretty uplifting, and while there a few tearful moments, I found myself smiling quite a bit. I don't know if this is available online, but it is on Netflix and through Interlibrary Loan in Minnesota.

I would like to focus on some positive aspect of  The Blood of Yingzhou District, but it was hard and heartbreaking. The last 10 minutes or so gave me a little relief, but getting there was difficult and made me so angry. "The blood" is blood that people from the Yingzhou District sell to make money; while you cannot get AIDS from donating blood under normal and safe conditions, these poor villagers sold blood, had important components 'extracted' and then their blood was returned to their bodies after it was mixed with other people's and thereby contaminated (I'm doing this from memory, so I am trying to capture the process as best as I can). The movie focuses on the children of these villagers, many of whom are orphaned or neglected by their families after their parents die. Even though their relatives may love them and want to care for them, they are afraid that if they associate with the kids (who may or may not even be sick) that nobody will want to be near them. It really is an education issue which is not easily overcome. The movie focuses on three sets of children: Gao Jun is a little boy of undetermined age who is very isolated after his primary caregivers die and his uncles are afraid to get too close; Nan Nan was being raised by her older sister before being placed in an orphanage where she gets some medical care and affection, but still has contact with her sister; the Huang children are three siblings who have been shunned, teased, and bullied by their village. We do see a few outreach workers trying to educate villagers about HIV/AIDS, and how it cannot be spread by casual contact. It's ten years later and I do not know if it is any better or worse or how the children are doing. I'd like to think things are better, but I don't know.

11/26/16 Mrs. Doubtfire, Best Makeup, 1993

I'm not sure what kind of review to do. Is it lazy to just say that Mrs. Doubtfire starring Robin Williams is still funny twenty-four years later? It is funny, he is funny, the situations are funny. Williams is Daniel, newly divorced from his wife, Miranda (Sally Field), and even though he tries to be there for his three kids, he doesn't always do it to Miranda's expectations. This sets the stage for an unpleasant custody agreement where Daniel can only see the kids once a week. Any other dad might have just settled for that, but not Daniel. Miranda advertises (she thinks) for a housekeeper/nanny for the kids, which Daniel sabotages in a pretty funny way. He then takes the job for himself, or rather Euphegenia Doubtfire. It just gets hilarious from there, as Daniel and his brother Frank (Harvey Fierstein) and Frank's partner, Jack, who are makeup artists, to come up with a disguise. The disguise is what won the Best Oscar for Makeup. Mrs. Doubtfire embodies the traits and behaviors that Miranda had told Daniel that she wanted from him. The kids are not all that thrilled at first, but Miranda is, and gradually everyone loves Mrs. Doubtfire. Miranda starts dating one of her clients and old friends, Stu Dunmire (Pierce Brosnan) which is a little awkward for Daniel/Mrs. Doubtfire. A series of events transpire that release the kracken, and it gets a little crazy. If I only watched the scenes where Williams cuts loose, Mrs. Doubtfire dancing, running between the kitchen and the bedroom to make a cup of tea, and on and on, and I would have been happy. The fact that there is a nice, fun, touching story wrapped around his frenetic behavior is a huge plus. I think families could watch this movie today and still enjoy it as much as they did twenty years ago. Chris Columbus, who directed a couple of the Harry Potter films, Home Alone 1 and 2, Night at the Museum and many others, shows his comic chops here, in one of his earliest directorial efforts. If you're looking for something the whole family can watch over the holidays, you might consider this (there is some innuendo because Mrs. Doubtfire has to wear prosthetic body parts, so some people may think it's not okay for little kids, and that's probably true, but older kids 11/12 could watch; there are more offensive things in commercials).