Adele at Wembley Stadium

Sometimes things are all about timing. That is definitely true about seeing Adele. The motivation for this trip was to see Phil Collins in Paris. Once I had the trip pretty planned out, Adele announced her concerts at Wembley Stadium for the same I would be in London. Well, I had to try, right? So, I scored two tickets for her first two nights. It was pretty hard to believe, even when I finally had the tickets in my sweaty little hands. And it's hard to say it out loud because people get really tired of you saying "I have tickets to see Adele in London". Anyway, the night soon arrived, and my seats was up in the 3rd tier, but still really good view of the stage; second night, I was down in the first section, almost on the pitch. No complaints at all. Both nights were amazing, and the set list was identical.

The night opened with "Hello"', she walked around the stage, waving at everyone; "Hometown Glory" with a video of London, much like she did for her tour, featuring each particular city, this
included footage of Grenfell Towers, which was very touching, then "One and Only". Finally, she addressed the crowd. She referenced her nerves a couple of times, due in large part to the fact that she as playing I front of some pretty massive hometown crowds, and she did mentione that she would be taking long break. One of the things that I love about Adele, and I got the feeling that most people there lt the same, is she really just talks to the audience, making fun of herself, or telling people "don't  f*!?** boo me, I'll walk off"and then just laughing, before she would talk about the next song, or maybe her love of Pinterest. Not kidding. She also joked about how her songs are sad and dreary and you can't really dance, but then the band jumped into "I'll be waiting", which is one of my favorites, and one that gets me chair dancing.

Then "Rumour has it", which is a great percussive song, and another one that I quite like to play on repeat. I want to mention before I forget that Adele was alone on the stage  and her band was on 

something like a turntable underneath, so sometimes you would see the drummer and percussionist, 

other times the pianist, etc. Quite a ballsy move in a lot of ways for someone so nervous, to be alone.

It totally worked, and allowed her to walk around the whole stage so everyone had some face time 

with her. "Water under the bridge" and "I miss you" were followed by "Skyfall" the award winning song from James Bond. Adele created some new videos to go along with some songs, so she gleefully shared the sacrifices she made for US in filming this video. There was also a male choir for this song.    "Don't you remember" followed, and apparently she often forgets the words, so she asked for a little help, we were happy to oblige. adele introduced the next song with a plea for donations to help those affected by the deadly fire at Grenfell Towers. What I appreciated, and I think others felt the same way, was that she acknowledged that people paid a lot for this evening, but that the beers people were drinking were more than the requested five pounds, but also that she was already working with the residents, and had visited several times and would be going back. There was substance and genuine feelings behind her request. The first night, over £1000,000 was raised. She then asked for everyone to the light on for their phone as she sang "Make you feel my love". Incredible. "Send my love to your new lover" and "Sweetest devotion", the latter about the birth of her son, were next.

"Chasing pavements"  and "Take it all" brought us to the show stopper, I think, "Set fire to the rain" which is so dramatic, just a perfect piece of songwriting, combined with stage fireworks. The live version is the shit, as we say. I think Adele would approve. 

That was the end of the main set. Strangely enough, there was a kiss cam between the end and the encore, but it was really enjoyed by the crowd. Adele came back and did "When we were young" and "Rolling in the deep" and she brought out here backup singers for a little dancing and a singalong.  Throughout the night Adele kept thanking the crowd, acknowledging people, seriously, that just blows me away, how much she really cares about her fans. The last song was "Someone like you" and just like when I saw her in St. Paul, the audience sang along, and it made me tingly. It's one of those moments that you think, wow, just wow. There were over 96,0000 people both nights, and they sounded amazing. I hope this really isn't it for her live performances, but if it was, what a way to finish. 

She swore like a sailor the first night, but tried to behave the second night because her mother and grandmother were in the audience, but that didn't  go exactly as planned.

It was amazing, she was amazing, and I will remember those concerts for a very long time.

The BBC list with 25th Hour & Red River, and two more nominees from 2016: Land of Mine, Silence

6/3/17 25th Hour, 2002, #94 BBC

If you've read recent entries here, you know that my relationship with the BBC 100 list is very hot and cold, sometimes it's downright confounding. That's probably the reason I'm always so pleasantly surprised when I like or really enjoy a movie from it. 25th Hour was directed by Spike Lee and stars Edward Norton as Monty Brogan, a young drug dealer on his way to prison; Barry Pepper and Philip Seymour Hoffman as his two best friends Frank and Jake; Rosario Dawson is his girlfriend, Naturelle; and Brian Cox is his dad. Most of the movie follows Monty as he spends his last day of freedom, hanging out with his friends and his girlfriend, settling up with Russian mob that financed his drug business, and re-thinking his life. It's not a big ideas or big statement movie, it just tells a story, and Norton is understated, in a wonderfully engaging way. I don't normally pull for the drug dealer to come out on top, but I was really hoping Monty would make it out of prison okay. He shows his soft side early in the movie when he rescues a dog that is near death, and then takes him home. Maybe Doyle (the dog) is the beginning of Monty's redemption (I don't know, just thinking out loud). Monty is definitely not your stereotypical drug dealer, that's for sure. The movie is set in New York City and the shadow of 9/11; there are references to the first responders who died in the towers (Monty's father was a fireman); Frank's apartment overlooks the pit that was the World Trade Center; and there is a provocative inner dialog that has Monty raging against all of the immigrant/non-white groups living in New York. New York is Spike Lee's 'space' if you will, as much a character as one of the actors. The one character or storyline that didn't seem to go anywhere was with Anna Paquin as Mary D'Annunzio, who is one of Jake's students. She flirts with Jake, and he is not able to completely resist her charms. I would have liked more time on Naturelle and Monty, or Jake, Frank and Monty. There are no real 'special effects', not too much violence (it's there, but part of the story, not gratuitous), no nudity, the only sex is whatever Mary is trying to do; the emphasis is on the characters, and that is what made me want to watch this movie and care about the characters. You may not have heard about this movie before, but you have now.

6/9/17 Red River, 1948, #66 BBC, National Film Registry

Director Howard Hawks has four films on the BBC list of best American films; he probably should have had more, and his movies have won Oscars and are embedded into our collective film psyche (His Girl Friday, The Big Sleep, To Have or Have Not, Bringing Up and dozens more). So, combine Hawks with John Wayne and a host of other Hollywood names, like Montgomery Clift, Walter Brennan, and Noah Beery, you are likely to have a pretty good movie. Or an absolutely fabulous western, if you prefer. Thomas Dunson (Wayne) is a headstrong, and not entirely likeable, cattle rancher, looking to make a life out west in Texas. He's joined by his trusty cook and hand, Nadine Groot (the original) (played by Walter Brennan), and eventually a young boy, Matthew (Clift plays the older Matthew), who has lost his family in a raid. Dunson and his men build and grow a huge cattle operation, but because of the Civil War and the new laws of Reconstruction and the carpet baggers that have down from the north, the price of cattle has been driven way down. Dunson embarks on a massive cattle drive to Missouri, and it's the cattle drive that makes up most of the film. This ain't no City Slickers, that's for sure. Before the men set off, Dunson makes them sign a contract saying they won't leave the drive before it's finished (which is ironic, because that's kind of what he did in the beginning of the film), and he's very strict and tough, and there is only his way; he and Matthew, whom he has adopted, often disagree on the best way to do...everything. There is a bitter parting of the ways when Matthew and some of the other men suggest heading to Kansas instead of Missouri; but Dunson insists on Missouri and Matt and the others rebel, beating up Dunson, and heading to Abilene. It's not that they want to steal anything from Dunson, they just do not want to go his way, and are tired of his dictatorial behavior. The cattle drive took over 100 days, and a lot of things happened, like rain, and heat, and stampedes, a mutiny, and a girl. Yes, a girl. Dang it. The film opened with Dunson's love interest trying to follow him, unfortunately for her, that didn't go as planned. The other woman of the story, Tess Millay (Joanne Dru) is a dance hall girl who almost immediately falls in love with Matt, and he with her, I suppose. But, of course, he doesn't want her to follow him on the cattle drive. They do meet up again in Abilene as Matt and Dunson square off against each other, and, it seems the reason they make up is because of Tess. Honestly, that whole story line was weak and really not needed. I'm not an expert on Westerns, so I just go by if I enjoyed the movie or not. I did; it was different from the cowboys and Indians westerns, although there were Indians as part of the story, but not the whole story; there was some comedy provided mainly by Walter Brennan and the teeth he lost in a card game; this was one of Clift's very early movies, a few years before his Oscar-nominated role in A Place in the Sun; and John Wayne was mostly unlikeable, which I don't think happened that often (although, I could be wrong). I will say that the makeup, especially for Wayne was HORRIBLE; they had to age him fourteen years, so they put on a terrible hairpiece that looked so fake, it was ridiculous. The film score is magnificent, done by Dimitri Tiomkin, who did so many movie scores, but a few are Rio Bravo, High Noon, and Dial M for Murder.  I don't know exactly why this is on the BBC 100 list, but it is (I don't understand what makes it so special).

6/9/17 Silence, nominated Best Cinematography, 2016

If I didn't know that Martin Scorsese directed Silence, I don't think I would have guessed it in a million years. It is a film set in 16th century Japan focusing on a few of the Jesuit priests who went to Japan to spread Christianity, and the resistance they encountered from the Japanese rulers. It wasn't just resistance, but brutal torture and often, death, inflicted on their converts and the priests. Andrew Garfield is Portuguese padre, Sebastiao Rodrigues and Adam Driver is fellow priest, Francisco Garupe who head to Japan looking for their teacher, Cristovao Ferreira. Along the way, Rodrigues and Garupe meet many converts who are hiding and fear for their lives. They are sold out to the local samurai, and wherever they go, they bring danger to the people and themselves. These are tests of faith for both men, who had no idea or true understanding of what happened to the followers of Jesus. Rodrigues and Garupe often quarreled about the extent and depth of belief that the villagers should embrace; if they renounced Christ and stepped on an image of him, that was often enough to 'renounce' the faith, and save their lives. This would be practical, but many refused and were put to death. The two men split up to reduce the risks to the villagers and hopefully find Father Ferreira. Rodrigues is the main protagonist, and we follow him as he is captured by the chief inquisitor, and has to watch as faithful converts are murdered in front of him, and the bloodbath will continue until he commits apostasy. Father Ferreira is brought to try and convince Rodrigues to renounce his faith, to save the others. They debate the value and importance of spreading Christianity to countries like Japan. Ferreira, who committed apostasy years before, believes it's hopeless and pointless, and that there is much to learn from the Japanese. The movie is beautifully filmed, but it is brutal, there is no shying away from the varieties of torture that were used. I know there is a lot of controversy around the church, and the role of the Jesuits in converting the native inhabitants, sometimes just as forcefully. I thought it was interesting that Andrew Garfield was in another role that saw him persecuted for his faith (Oscar-nominated Hacksaw Ridge also from 2016); in this film, however, his faith was shaken and he questioned it and himself more than in Hacksaw Ridge. I liked the movie, but it took me forever to even watch it because I was so afraid of its almost three hour run time (in fact, I could have seen it in the theater, but the thought of sitting there for so long frightened me). I don't think it's one of those 'must-see' movies, but if you're the least bit interested, I say go for it.

6/10/17 Land of Mine, nominated Best Foreign Film, 2016

Land of Mine is a kick in the stomach. Even though it's set in the immediate aftermath of World War II, the message applies to the ongoing wars, and society, today. It made me think of All Quiet on the Western Front, and the senseless deaths of young men, boys, really. The movie takes place in Denmark, a country that was occupied by Germany during World War II, except after the war, Denmark was one of the victors and used young German soldiers to clear German land mines. On the one hand, you could say, good, that's what should be done, and Sergeant Rasmussen seems to agree. He is merciless and, seems to me, very cruel; but, he and his countrymen have been released from the German oppression. On the other hand, the young men in front of him are boys, maybe 18, not more than 20 years old, and they didn't plant those land mines. At some point the madness has to stop. Rasmussen doesn't flinch when the boys ask for food; he simply says no, he doesn't care if they starve or die, and tells them that. One of the boys makes the point that it would be 'better' if they died out there, clearing land mines, than from starvation; Rasmussen doesn't budge. Clearing the land mines is a dangerous business; if you're not killed outright, you could be maimed; the mines are fickle, and even when they are disarmed, they can still explode. This is a true story that has not been told, and writer/director Martin Zandvliet did his research and pulled facts together from different sources. Zandvliet shows the humanity of the young men as well as their principle jailer, Rasmussen. He keeps the viewer off balance, even when you think you know what is going to happen, it still jars you. This probably isn't at the top of anyone's list to see this summer, with so many blockbusters out there, but it's a movie that makes you think and feel, and that's more than a lot of movies can say.

This leaves one more film from 2016 to see (out of winners and nominees, The Salesman).

Two Hot Nights in Paris with Phil Collins

The whole raison d'etre for this journey was to see Phil Collins, a musician whom I have loved for over 35 years, which just made me sound incredibly old. I have been lucky enough to see him solo, with Genesis and once with Eric Clapton. A few years ago, when he released "Going Back", he did a limited number of shows in New York City and Philadelphia, and I thought about going, but eventually decided against it. Even though he has said those weren't the best shows he ever did, I still wish I would have gone, so when he announced his limited shows in Europe, with no promise of US shows, I knew what I had to do. I missed out on the London tickets, but was able to grab two tickets to two shows in Paris, including a sound check package, and both nights with decent seats. That was way back in October, and it seemed like it would never get here, but it did. The first night, Sunday, 18 June, was the night of the sound check package, which included a souvenir book, pre-concert drinks and nibbles and a chance to listen to the sound check with Phil and the band. We were escorted down into the front of the hall, not the very front, but pretty close, and a lot of the people cheered and tried to get Phil to acknowledge us, which he sort of did; Leland Sklar, the bassist, did wave to us, as did a few of the others. They ran through a few songs (I can't remember any of them, sorry), and after only about 20 minutes, it was over. A little disappointing (I heard this from several of the people there) considering how much the ticket cost, but even so, it was a pretty unique experience.

The sets were the same both nights, and in fact, have pretty much been the same for all of the shows thus far, except for him dropping a song in the encore for the two shows I attended. Phil's energy seemed much better the second night, he was a lot more engaging, making jokes, a little more chatty than Sunday night (night number two was Tuesday); I put it down to the heat, because it was like a sauna in the AccorArena in Bercy Sunday night.  Phil walked on stage, with a cane due to back and nerve problems, to a massive welcome, and he took a seat at the front of the stage. He opened the night with "Against All Odds" which is not my favorite song, but live I can tolerate it. The band moved into "Another Day in Paradise" and then "One More Night" before doing the slightly rockier "Wake Up Call" from the Testify album (an underrated album, but I really like it), and then Phil introduced a song from his Genesis years, which received rousing applause, "Follow You, Follow Me" accompanied by video clips of his past band mates, including Peter Gabriel and Steve Hackett, which gave me goosebumps (and I'm not alone in that). The audience sang along, and it was a great treat.

"Can't Turn Back the Years" is from Both Sides, which Phil has said is his favorite and most personal album, and I have listened to it quite a lot, and it can be hard to listen to because it's pretty heavy and almost like you're eavesdropping on a personal conversation. The tempo picked up again with "I Missed Again" and "Hang in Long Enough", two of my favorites, mainly because they incorporate the horn section so well, which is one of Phil's strengths, in my opinion. The horns rocked, and really got the audience on their feet. "Separate Lives", the Stephen Bishop song featured in the film White Knights, was next and Bridget Bryant came down to join Phil. Not one of my top twenty songs, but it's a way to feature a great vocalist like Bridget (the trio of back up singers including Amy Keys, Lamont Van Hook and Bridget Bryant are tremendous vocalists). The first set ended with "Only You Know and I Know" from No Jacket Required, and is another one of the songs I could listen to over and over. There was an intermission which featured some clever 'adverts' selling products with Genesis and Phil Collins song titles, "Invisible Touch Air Freshener" and the hair salon "Su-su-sudio".

The second half of the show kicked off with a great drum duet with Nic Collins (yes, Phil's 16 year old son) and percussionist, Luis Conte; it was reminiscent of the drum duets that Phil used to do with Chester Thompson. I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss Chester, not that Nic wasn't fabulous, he honestly was, I was hoping for the dueling drums, but realize now that two full sized drum kits would have been overkill. Nic was great, playing hard when he needed to, and gently when called for, just like his dad was so great at doing, playing the right stuff at the right time. He was even wearing Converse sneakers like Phil used to wear when playing the drums. The drum duet led into "Do You Know, Do You Care" from "Hello, I Must Be Going", which is a better album than a lot of people think, even Phil. "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" got the crowd going again, before we sat down for a very touching moment, with Nic playing piano on "You Know What I Mean" from "Face Value", just father and son, it was very emotional.

Then, you could feel it "In the Air Tonight", which was not as powerful as it was when Phil would do it, walking menacingly around the stage, and then the two drums, but it was still very good, and everyone still did the air drumming. It was the one song Phil said he was going to try and drum, but he wasn't up to it. The old chestnut "You Can't Hurry Love" was next, and I love Motown, but I am a little tired of that song. "Dance into the Light" from the album of the same name was next, and I have never heard that live, not seeing that tour, but it is a song that I enjoy; it was another one that made great use of the band's tremendous sound. A lot of people have heard "Invisible Touch", but not like this: horn section and backing vocals, and a little different arrangement and everyone was dancing. "Easy Lover" the song Phil wrote with Philip Bailey and Nathan East for Bailey's Chinese Wall album (Phil produced the album and it's quite good) was up next, and has gotten different treatments over the years, depending on the backing vocalists; this version featured Amy Keys and Lamont Van Hook singing with Phil, Amy playfully rubbing his bald head, and Phil responding, enjoying the teasing. "Sussudio" ended the night, and streamers and confetti came down on the band and parts of the audience; again, not one of the songs I have in my rotation, but it seems expected, and live, it takes on a different feel. I would say this is true with Phil and Genesis songs; there are many songs that I find to be weak on the albums, but when heard live, they come alive and have a totally different feel. The concert was officially ended with "Take Me Home", which made me kind of sad, knowing this could be the last time I see Phil Collins play live, depending on if he tours the US, and if I can go.  I want to make sure to mention, the band; most of the musicians have toured with Phil before, some have played on his albums as well, and they really seem to enjoy being onstage together. Daryl Steurmer, who toured with Genesis and has toured with Phil since the beginning of his solo days, was on lead guitar, and plays so many of those familiar notes, was rock solid; Ronnie Caryl, Phils' mate for over 50 years was on acoustic and rhythm guitar; Leland Sklar, who, along with Nathan East, has played bass with Phil since "No Jacket Required", and he is so great to listen to, and I could really pick up the bass in the sound; Luis Conte on percussion; the Vine Street Horns, led by Harry Kim add something to every song they play on, and while Phil couldn't move around, they did, as well as Bridget, Amy and Lamont, which helped the energy; Brad Cole has been Phil'slongtime keyboardist  and he did a little something different with the intro to "In the Air Tonight"; and Nic Collins on drums and piano, I don't know if he is better than Phil at his healthiest, but I don't like those kind of comparisons, he was really freaking good, and seemed to enjoy the time with his dad and being a part of a great band.

The whole evening had a weird bittersweet feel (for me), seeing a man whose music I have enjoyed for such a long time and enjoyed his active and lively shows have to sit down for the whole time. His voice isn't what it used to be, and there were moments he let the back up singers just sing, or the audience, but, I still had a blast. There were videos from the early concerts, and I was worried, because he didn't sound good, but he sounded better than good the nights I saw him, and he enjoyed it, and I didn't meet anyone who was disappointed. Of course, there is a list a mile long of songs I wanted to hear, but you can't have everything. I'm so glad I went.

2016 Nominee: My Life as a Zucchini and Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut and a documentary short

5/28/17 My Life as a Zucchini, nominated Best Animated Feature, 2016

Something made me not all that eager about seeing the animated film My Life as a Zucchini; just one of those impressions you get from a trailer. Except, I think I was really wrong on this one. The movie is a Swiss/French production and the original release was in French, but the DVD from the library was in English with Erick Abbate as Zucchini; Nick Offerman as Raymond, a policeman; Ellen Page as Rosy, a social worker; and Amy Sedaris as mean Aunt Ida. The movie is described as an "adult animated comedy-drama", which sounds like something totally different in my head, and I don't completely agree. It is not a kiddie film, not for the youngest children, but I think older kids, 10 and up, could totally relate to this story of belonging, or not belonging, loss, non-traditional family structures. Zucchini (Courgette in French) lives with his mother, who drinks too much and can be abusive since his father left the family. One afternoon, in a particularly drunken rage, his mother comes up into the attic where he is, threatening him, and he slams the door on her, accidentally killing her. Wracked with guilt, Zucchini goes to the police to turn himself in and meets Officer Raymond, who is very kind and gentle with him, and takes him to an orphanage. It's difficult to fit, and Zucchini is teased by some of the kids; he also spends some time with Office Raymond. A young girl, Camille, comes to the orphanage, and she captures Zucchini's attention, and they become friends. Over time, the other kids start to accept Zucchini and he opens up to them as well. All the kids have different stories, parents who have died, abandoned them, been deported, etc. Learning about each other's backgrounds helps to break down the walls and suspicions between the kids. The kids perform a (semi) heroic act to rescue Camille from nasty Aunt Ida. I don't want to spoil the ending, so you'll need to watch the movie yourself. It took a while for the animation style to grow on me, but once it did, and I focused on the kids and their relationships, I really loved this movie.

5/28/17 Nine from Little Rock, Best Documentary Short 1964

Like most of the documentaries I have watched on the lives of African-Americans in America over the past 75 years, I watch and I think, it would be nice if this was just a piece of history. But, that's not how it is. Watching Nine from Little Rock shows us how far we came, but have fallen backwards. The documentary, filmed by Charles Guggenheim, who also did an award winning documentary on Robert F. Kennedy, was made seven years after the students first attended Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas in 1957. It was narrated by Jeffrey Thomas, one of the nine students, and he talks about that first day, and what he doesn't come out and say, the video shows us: the hate and venom being spewed by some very angry, hateful citizens of Little Rock. The film is only 20 minutes, so there isn't a lot of time to do any in depth analysis or interviews, but we do hear from most of the nine students, most of whom went on to college, and they talk about their aspirations going forward, and some continue working in the civil rights movements. Thomas is very well spoken and has a positive outlook about the struggles of his friends and his country, and a feeling of progress in terms of civil rights. As it stands now, in 2017, it seems like we've fallen back to pre-1957.

5/28/17 Eyes Wide Shut, 1999 #61 BBC

Well, I didn't hate it. Can I stop there? Director Stanley Kubrick has five films on the BBC list of 100 best American films, and Eyes Wide Shut is at #61 (this is also Kubrick's last film), one above The Shining which is at #62, and below Blue Velvet #60, by David Lynch, which I HATED. The short version of the plot is there is a married couple, Alice and Dr. Bill Hartford (played by [at the time] married couple Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise) who seem to be having some issues in their marriage after a strange holiday party. Bill reconnects with a friend from medical school who is now a piano player, who has a gig at a 'secret' party. This intrigues Bill so much that he wheedles the information out of Nick, and rents the required costume and makes his way out to a mansion where he is required to provide a password. Bill gets past the security to find a bizarre sex ritual going on, where he is warned away by one of the women there, but refuses to go until he is threatened by the "Red Cloak". On the home front, his wife is telling him of her sexual fantasies that involve a different man. Bill finds it hard to stay at home with Alice; it's as if he is discovering the city and its underbelly for the first time ever, he spends some time with a nice prostitute; meets an eccentric costume shop owner who pimps out his daughter; and one of his patients has sex with a drugged out prostitute. Many critics have found deep psycho-sexual meaning in the film, and elevate it to the highest level of filmmaking, and say that Nicole Kidman has a most sublime performance. Meh. I will say this: it's a beautiful film to look at it, which is no doubt one of the great thing about Kubrick's films, that, and gorgeous soundtracks.

Destination: Themyscira and Wonder Woman

6/11/17 Wonder Woman, 2017, not yet nominated

I realize I am very late to this Amazonian-sized party, but it's a party I want to join anyway. As a superhero movie, male or female, it is just super, fabulous, awesome. It had great action, cool effects, pretty good superhero dialog, which in my mind should have moments of double-entendres, sarcasm and humor, moments when you say (in your head or out loud) "holy shit that was epic". Gal Gadot is perfect as Diana/Wonder Woman, perfect like Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. The cast of Amazons, led by Connie Nielsen as Hippolyta, Diana's mother and Queen of the Amazons and Robin Wright as Antiope, Diana's aunt and general of the army, and the rest of the women are fierce and athletic, and I could watch a movie of them doing their training and riding horses. The Amazons live on Themyscira, an island created by Zeus for them, and hidden away from the world of man. They have remained hidden until Steve Trevor (Chris Pine), a captain in the United States Army who was on a spy mission in Germany. The movie is set during World War I, which is infamous for its barbaric trench warfare and poison gas, which plays a pivotal role in the film. Captain Trevor crashes a stolen German plane into the ocean near Themyscira and is rescued by Diana; while the Amazons take him in and treat his wounds, they are wary of what will follow him; which turns out to be German troops who come close to overwhelming the Amazons with their guns. Trevor needs to get to the outside world, back to London, and Diana wants to go with him, to help fight Ares (god of war), whom she believes is the cause of the war. If she leaves Themyscira, Diana is not allowed to return, but she feels it's her duty to help. Steve and Diana land in London, which allows for those funny fish out of water moments as Diana has to learn how to navigate in the society of humans, like, not waving her sword around, trying on 20th century London fashion. Steve wants to find the location of a poisonous gas being developed by Dr. Poison/Dr. Maru and that will be used by General Ludendorff (played evilly by Danny Huston). David Thewlis is Sir Patrick Morgan a British politician, supposedly working towards the armistice. Trevor, Diana and his friends Charlie, Sameer and Chief, embark on the mission to find Ludendorff, which takes them perilously through the trenches and no man's land (please appreciate the irony). Now, I'm getting perilously close to revealing spoilers, so I will stop. You'll want to see this anyway. I loved this movie, really loved it. Aside from the reasons I gave early on, it is so awesome to finally have a female-focused superhero movie (all props to Black Widow and Scarlett Johansson, but they never pulled it off where she's the star) with strong females throughout, even evil Dr. Maru. If you've read any of the articles since the movie came out, it has definitely resonated with audiences, and not just female audiences, although, I think we are reveling in it, for sure. Wonder Woman is physically strong, speaks hundreds of languages, but also (as Chris Pine himself pointed out) has an 'emotional intelligence' that most of the super heroes lack; she has brawn, brain and heart. There have been emails sent to the (female) director Patty Jenkins (who directed Monster, so she knows strong women) talking about the impact the film has had on kids, boys and girls. I look forward to Wonder Woman 2; yeah, I know Justice League is coming out, but then she's going to have share the screen.

It took a long time to get this movie, so I plan to enjoy it for all it's worth.

 

The Hunt for Red October, James Stewart - The Shop Around the Corner, The Band Wagon w/Astaire

5/26/17 The Hunt for Red October, Best Sound Editing, 1991

The Hunt for Red October is a Cold War thriller based on the best-selling book by Tom Clancy, and stars Sean Connery as the Soviet Captain of nuclear submarine, Captain Ramius and Alec Baldwin as Dr. Jack Ryan, a CIA intelligence analyst. It's a high stakes case of cat and mouse as Ramius is leading his crew on a path of defection to the U.S. Remius is a pretty complex and somber character, and Connery plays him with the right amount of gravitas. I like Alec Baldwin, and I enjoy seeing him in roles that are different from what we're used to, Jack on "30 Rock" or his Trump impersonation (he's had quite a varied career), and Jack Ryan is not a bully, or super-masculine, he's a pretty smart guy, a professor of Naval history at the US Naval Academy, and he hates flying. Connery steals the show, from Baldwin and the rest of the very impressive cast (James Earl Jones, Sam Neill, Scott Glenn and more). If a submarine film is done well, the viewer gets a claustrophobic feeling, and I definitely got that for the sub scenes. There is suspense, some action, and in light of current events, a strange sense of history thumbing its nose at us. My dad loved reading Tom Clancy's books, and I'm fairly certain he would have seen this movie at some point, so in some ways, this wasn't about the movie, but about remembering my dad. But, since this is a movie review blog, I enjoyed it, the drama, the plotline, the acting. A great summertime movie.

5/27/17 The Shop Around the Corner, 1940, #58 BBC, National Film Registry

The BBC list has been a fickle mistress, but I feel a little redemption with The Shop Around the Corner, directed by Ernst Lubitsch (Ninotchka, To Be or Not To Be), and starring James Stewart,  Margaret Sullavan and Frank Morgan (the Wizard in The Wizard of Oz). It took me a little while to get used to because the movie is set in Hungary, the characters have Hungarian names, but most of the actors have American or English accents. James Stewart is Alfred Kralik, the senior salesman at Matuschek and Company (Mr. Matuschek played by Frank Morgan). Margaret Sullivan is Klara Novak, a young woman who initially comes in looking for a job, but Mr. Kralik turns her away, but then she is drawn into a debate about a questionable cigarette box that Mr. Matuschek wants to sell, but Kralik thinks it's a terrible idea. On the personal side, Kralik has been writing letters to a woman he has not yet met, but she thinks he is wonderful, even if perhaps he embellished. There are several subplots going on: Pepi the delivery boy who has aspirations of being a salesman; Mr. Matuschek and Kralik having an unexpected falling out; Mr. Pirovitch, a co-worker, who is Kralik's friend and confidante; the uncomfortable relationship with Kralik and Klara. It's an entertaining romantic comedy, with Stewart as dapper and understated as ever; Sullavan is a match for him, and their scenes are funny; every time that Morgan was onscreen I couldn't help but think of him as Professor Marvel from The Wizard of Oz; that's not a bad thing, he just seemed to have those mannerisms in this role as well. I had never heard of the movie before, and then I find out it's also on the National Film Registry (also a list that has given me fits over time). This definitely makes up for The Shanghai Gesture.

5/29/17 The Band Wagon, 1953 #70 BBC, National Film Registry

Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse, and direction by Vincente Minnelli. What else do you need? Maybe a story by Betty Comden, Adolph Green and Alan Lerner, and a few snappy songs and great dance numbers. Yeah, that's it, and really, for my money, I'm not sure the story was all that important, just something between numbers. I could watch Fred Astaire dance for hours; he's so smooth and makes it look effortless. Astaire is Tony Hunter, a movie star in a downturn of his career who meets up with some old friends (played by Oscar Levant and Nanette Fabray) and a slightly eccentric British actor/director/writer, Jeffrey Cordova (Jack Buchanan). As they discuss a potential project together, they break into song with "That's Entertainment", and decide on next steps. They are looking for a female lead and try to entice a ballerina Gaby Gerard (Cyd Charisse) to join the production. Their show doesn't quite take off as they thought it would (Faust isn't for everyone), but Tony rallies the troops (the much younger cast who kind of look up to Tony).  There is a lot of friction between Tony and Gaby (he smokes, she's too tall), but eventually they put on a hit show. Like I said, the story was an excuse to have some song and dance numbers, but, it was a great excuse. Numbers like "Dancing in the Dark" and "Girl Hunt Ballet" featuring Astaire and Charisse are so fun to watch with their elegance and class. "The Triplets" is fun and silly with Astaire, Fabray and Buchanan as the triplets of the title. Minnelli directed films like Meet Me In St. Louis, Gigi, and An American in Paris (starring Gene Kelly), so he knows how to mix music, dancing, costumes and art direction.