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.

Joan Crawford as Mildred Pierce or How to Turn Your Child into a Spoiled Rotten Ingrate

6/22/13, Mildred Pierce, Best Actress, 1945


Some of you may have seen the recent mini-series of Mildred Pierce (2011) with Kate Winslet, Guy Pearce and Evan Rachel Wood; I saw that first and really liked it, so I was interested to see how the movie compared. Joan Crawford plays Mildred Pierce, a housewife who must fend for herself after her husband leaves (or is kicked out). Mildred has a side business baking pies, and then finds a job as a waitress. She is driven to work so hard because she wants to provide the best things for her two daughters, Veda and Kay. Kay is a happy-go-lucky kid, who is easily appeased. Veda, the older child, might be equated with a leech, an ungrateful leech at that; actually Veda (Ann Blyth, nominated as Best Supporting Actress) may have been the role model for all those Erika Kane-type characters in soap operas. Mildred is hard-working, seems to have a very good business sense, but when it comes to Veda, and eventually Guy Bergaron (Zachary Scott), she has no sense at all. Guy Bergaron is from a wealthy (or formerly wealthy) family, and has few scruples when it comes to accepting gifts of money from Mildred. Mildred's closest friend is the restaurant manager she met at her first waitressing job, Ida Corwin (Eve Arden, perhaps best known as the principal from Ridgemont High in Grease and Grease 2), who is wise-cracking, but protective of Mildred. The movie was directed by Michael Curtiz, who also directed Yankee Doodle Dandy and Casablanca among many other classics. It seemed very much like it could have been directed by Hitchcock, it has that moody, noir atmosphere, but the acting is not as stiff as in Spellbound, which was released in the same year. Butterfly McQueen (who played the young maid, Prissy, in Gone with the Wind) plays Lottie, Mildred's housekeeper/baking assistant (I didn't think it was very clear, she is shown baking pies, but Veda treats her as a housekeeper/maid). Lottie provided some of the lighter moments in the movie, with her high voice and comedic delivery. It's probably the worst statement of the obvious, but because of the limitation of roles for black Americans in the early days of film (pretty much maids, butlers or slaves), a lot of talent was lost to stereotyping, and I think that's the case here for sure. I think overall the movie is worth watching if just to draw your own comparisons to the mini-series, but also to see Joan Crawford in a great role; I was annoyed by the way Veda seemed to get away with everything, but I guess that is part of the movie, and you have to give credit to Ann Blyth who was only 17 at the time of the film.

I want to be alone

Grand Hotel, 1/13/13, Best Picture, 1931/32

Grand Hotel is set entirely in the Grand Hotel in Berlin and follows several of its guests over the period of a few days. Grand Hotel is an ensemble movie with some of the biggest stars of the time (less than 5 years after the first talkie), including Lionel and John Barrymore, Wallace Beery, a very young Joan Crawford and Greta Garbo. It’s like a less complicated and less character-rich Gosford Park or Murder on the Orient Express. Garbo plays a reluctant Russian ballerina who utters the famous line ‘I want to be alone’; it wasn’t at all like I imagined it would sound, it certainly wasn’t at all how all of the imitations of the line go ‘I vant to be alone’. The movie won for Best Picture, and the only competing film with which I am slightly familiar is the boxing movie The Champ, so I don’t know if it was ‘the best’, but it was good, and I think if you are interested in the history of film and the very early years and some of the actors that have been called ‘legends’, you should watch it. I like movies where stories and characters intersect, and there are a couple of unexpected twists at the end. Some of the photography and camera angles were very different and out of the ordinary. I think a little Garbo goes a long way, and perhaps it’s more the character of her very emotional prima ballerina that makes her seem so melodramatic as opposed to her actual acting ability. I barely recognized Joan Crawford, but her character is very sweet, but also strong and independent. One trivia fact for you fans of the Academy Awards, Jean Hersholt, the namesake of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award given out during the Oscars, appears as the Porter in the movie. So, if you like classic movies, movie trivia, and ensemble films, add it to your list; it won’t kill you and you may enjoy it. If you really have no patience for movies that don’t move quickly and there aren’t big action sequences and you’re looking for a life changing movie, you can skip it, and that won’t kill you either.

Just a note: as the Oscars are rapidly approaching, I am trying to see as many of the nominated films as possible so I can be ready once the winners are announced. The hope is not to add too much to my existing list and provide some immediate feedback on the newer films. That’s the hope, but things don’t always work out as we plan (I've learned that much from all the movies I've seen).