The King's Speech, The Fighter and Steve McQueen in Bullitt

6/10/18 The King's Speech, Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Original Screenplay, 2010

I like movies like The King's Speech because they focus on one aspect in history, in this case, the Duke of York's, later King George VI, stuttering problem. You might think, can you really make a movie about a stuttering problem? Yes, you can. Prince Albert, the Duke of York, was never supposed to be king, but when his brother, King Edward VIII, abdicated in 1936 to be with Wallis Simpson, the crown was pretty much thrust upon him. King George was expected to speak to the people via radio or live engagements, and a king with a stammer was not going to be very inspirational. King George (Colin Firth) tries all different types of cures, none that work, until his wife, Queen Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter), more familiar to us as the late Queen Mother, meets with Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) a speech therapist to set up an appointment with her husband. The relationship is a rough one because Logue insists on treating the King as an equal, using first names, and using very unconventional methods. Despite the rocky start, the King and Logue make progress in overcoming the King's stammer, and when the King is preparing for the coronation, he wants Logue to be there. Unfortunately, people who didn't approve of Logue did some checking into his background and informed the King that he had no medical background (but Logue never claimed he did) and no real training. Eventually they reconcile, and go on to have a long relationship. I really did like The King's Speech, I liked the story, I'm very interested in British history, the actors were terrific, in fact, all three were nominated for an Oscar, with only Firth winning for Best Actor. However, my mother had a very different reaction to the movie, and somehow it came up in conversation and she just said, "It was boring." So, there you go. 

6/16/18 The Fighter, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, 2010

The Fighter is another bio-pic, this time about boxer Mickey Ward (Mark Wahlberg) and his half-brother and boxer, Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale). Dicky was a promising fighter at one time, but started using drugs and when the movie starts he is pretty deep into his addiction. Despite this, Mickey still wants Dicky around as one of his trainers. The Ward-Eklund clan is very close, too close if you ask me, I'd be too claustrophobic, but anyway, they are very close and run/managed/controlled by their mother, Alice (Melissa Leo in an Oscar winning role). The movie follows Mickey as he tries to move up in the boxing world to better fights and better paydays, but he has to make a choice between Dicky and his family or a new manager and an independent thinking girlfriend, Charlene (Amy Adams). Bales seems to become Dicky (there is a brief clip at the end of the movie with both brothers, and you can see how close Bales is to being Dicky). I liked the movie, although I wouldn't say it was one of my favorites or that I would need to see it again (this is the second time). It's interesting that I watched The King's Speech and The Fighter so close, and that they both had nominations for Best Supporting Actor and Actress, and the performances of Bonham Carter, Leo and Adams are so different, Leo and Adams are loud and assertive, you could say aggressive, as their characters, and Bonham Carter is restrained, regal and assertive in her own way as a monarch's wife; and Bales is wired, hyped up, effusive and Rush is calm but engaging. And they were all playing real people, which I would think has its own set of pros and cons when acting and when voting.

6/17/18 Bullitt, Best Film Editing, National Film Registry, 1968

Steve McQueen is Frank Bullitt, a respected detective in the San Francisco police department. We know this because Walter Chalmers (Robert Vaughn) asks for Bullitt to guard a key witness against The Organization. The witness is murdered despite the police protection, and now Bullitt has a murder to solve. Bullitt is the strong, silent type, focused on the job, occasionally focusing on his girlfriend, Cathy (Jacqueline Bisset), but not enough. Some movies don't hold up over time, they seem dated and the acting doesn't quite work after forty or fifty years, but Bullitt is still a taut, tense detective story, with a few twists, a suspenseful soundtrack by Lalo Schifrin, and with one of the best car chase scenes in film history. San Francisco provides a great setting, the hills, the bay, the winding streets. Bullitt is a movie I would watch again, and I don't think my mom would say it was boring. I haven't seen all of McQueen's movies, but the ones I have seen, I have enjoyed, whether he is playing a gunslinger, a thief, a P.O.W. or a race car driver, he is memorable: The Magnificent Seven (also with Robert Vaughn), The Great Escape, The Towering Inferno or The Thomas Crown Affair.

One word movie titles for three hundred, please - Hugo, Deliverance, Champion, Spartacus

8/26/17 Hugo, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, 2011

I haven't figured out why Martin Scorsese's Hugo has not found a bigger audience; I think it has stunning visuals (this is one of the few movies I have seen where 3D makes a difference, in a good way); I think kids/young teens can relate to the story; fans of early animation can appreciate the story of Georges Melies. But, perhaps I am getting ahead of myself. In 1930s Paris, Hugo (Asa Butterfield - Boy in the Striped Pajamas) is orphaned after his clockmaker/inventor father (Jude Law) is killed in a fire, but he is left an automaton his father was repairing. He is left in the care of his drunk and mean uncle Claude (Ray Winston), who teaches him to keep the clocks running at Gare Montparnesse. Hugo has a habit of shoplifting from a toy store owner (Ben Kingsley); using the pieces to finish restoring the automaton, until he gets caught by the store owner, who threatens to burn Hugo's notebook. Hugo meets Isabelle (Chloe Grace Moretz) and they go on adventures, and Hugo learns that Isabelle is the toy store owner's goddaughter. Uncle Claude turns up dead after an ill-timed dip in the Seine, and Hugo is on his own again, so he lives in the clock (seriously, who would not think this is the coolest thing?), evading capture from a very hilarious Station Inspector Gustave (Sacha Baron Cohen who is surprisingly not offensive). It turns out that the toy store owner, also known as Papa Georges, was a groundbreaking filmmaker in the early 20th century, making the landmark film "A Trip to the Moon". The movie won the visual Oscars for very good reason, it's gorgeously done, the special effects from the automaton to the recreated scenes from Meliers' films and theater pieces are beautiful. Scorsese is a film historian and has provided funds for film restoration and while this may seem off the beaten track for him, I think it's a work of love. There are not a lot of films that families can watch together, so if you're looking for something whimsical and magical, get Hugo from the library or Netflix.

8/26/17 Deliverance, 1972 #84 BBC, National Film Registry

I don't think some of these 'classic' films translate so well thirty or forty years later. At least that's my opinion Deliverance based on watching it three times and not liking it any time, although I was less creeped out the last time than the first two times. The film is set in the north Georgia wilderness, and stars Burt Reynolds as Lewis, Jon Voight as Ed, Ronnie Cox as Drew and Ned Beatty as Bobby; Lewis and Ed are the outdoorsmen of the group, and this is Drew and Bobby's first outing. These are city boys and the locals are targets for their mockery and mistrust (although the mistrust goes both ways). Even if you have never seen Deliverance you are probably familiar with the music called "Dueling Banjos" (usually played when people are referring to hillbillies or something backwards); it's early on, and pretty much the only part I liked. Anyway, the city boys head down the river in their canoes, and Ed and Bobby have the misfortune to meet two very creepy country boys who have more than just fishing on their minds; one of them humiliates Bobby by making him squeal like a pig and then raping him. Before the same can be done to Ed, Lewis kills the attacker with a shot from his bow. The men dispose of the body, but are now in fear of the second man, whom they believe is stalking them from above in the cliffs. Things get really dangerous as they hit a series dangerous rapids, and it doesn't end there, as there are more deaths, severe injuries and an encounter with the local sheriff who doesn't believe anything they say. I don't mind outdoor films, and director John Boorman filmed a lot of beautiful shots in the Tallulah Gorge, and I like a good mystery or thriller, but this did nothing for me, and I can honestly say I tried.

8/26/17 Champion, Best Editing, 1949

I've been in a Kirk Douglas frame of mind, I guess, having recently finished Douglas's autobiography, The Ragman's Son, watching an old interview with Dick Cavett and grabbing two of his films in this blog session, Champion and Spartacus. Douglas was nominated for Best Actor for his role as "Midge" Kelly, a good boxer but a pretty crappy person. Midge didn't plan on being a boxer; he and his crippled brother, Connie (Arthur Kennedy), are heading west to claim their ownership of a restaurant in California, only to find that they've been swindled. The real owner, Lew, of the diner lets them stay on to work and both Midge and Connie fall for the owner's daughter, Emma. Lew is less than pleased with Midge and Emma's relationship and forces them into a shotgun marriage. Now that the fun is over, Midge takes off, leaving Emma behind. This is pretty typical of how Midge operates; he's a me first kind of guy. On the way out west, Midge enters a fight as a way to make some quick money, and when he flees his marriage, he finds Tommy Haley who offered to train and manage him if he wanted to get into the fight game for real. Midge has a single-minded focus on his new career, defeating all comers as he moves around the country. Midge gets the opportunity to fight Johnny Dunne, who is in line for the championship. Instead of tanking the fight like he promised, Midge knows out Johnny early on, earning the wrath of the mob, but the affections of Johnny's girlfriend, Grace. Yeah, there's not a lot to like about most of the characters in this movie. Grace persuades Midge to drop Tommy and get a new manager. Bad move on Grace's part as she unwittingly sets Midge up with his next fling. Being champion holds short term rewards for Midge, for which he seems to have no gratitude or appreciation. Things don't end for him quite as he anticipated. Douglas is pretty despicable in this role, and it kind of reminded me of his part in Ace in the Hole, as a journalist who is willing to risk another man's life to improve his career - devoid of scruples. It was a good movie, probably not at the top of most people's list, but it's one of Douglas's earlier films and worth a look.

8/27/17 Spartacus, 1960,  Best Supporting Actor, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography - Color, Best Costume Design - Color,  #81 AFI

Spartacus is one of those old time Hollywood epic films that begins with an overture, has an orchestral intermission and a closing bit, enough costumed Romans to fill the Colosseum and more stars than there are in the sky. The movie is significant for more than its scope; it was Dalton Trumbo's first officially credited movie since he had been blacklisted, and it pretty much broke the blacklist; Kirk Douglas hired Trumbo and made the decision to put his name on the credits. Stanley Kubrick directed after the production company, Bryna Productions, fired the original director, Anthony Mann (Bryna Productions was Douglas's company). Douglas stars as Spartacus, a Thracian slave who is sold to a gladiator school run by Batiatus (Peter Ustinov in an Oscar winning role). Spartacus meets a slave girl, Varinia (Jean Simmons), who also draws the attention of Crassus (Laurence Olivier) and his entourage. Crassus and his party request a fight to the death between the gladiators, and Spartacus is chosen to fight against the African, Draba. Draba refuses to kill Spartacus and instead, lunges at the gawking visitors, only to be killed by one of the guards. This is the inspiration for the slave rebellion, led by Spartacus. Meanwhile, back in Rome, Crassus is in a power struggle with Gracchus (Charles Laughton) in the Senate. Domestically, Crassus adds a young slave to his household, Antoninus (Tony Curtis), and attempts to seduce him (one of the interesting things about this scene is that it is part of the restored film and Olivier's voice had to be dubbed by Anthony Hopkins). Antoninus later joins the growing slave army. Spartacus is trying to get the slaves out of Rome and makes a deal for ships, but in the time it takes for him to move down the coast, Crassus and Gracchus have been making their own deals and double-deals, in opposition to one another. Eventually, Spartacus and his army are brutally defeated, and the stage is set for probably the best known scene in the film, where the Romans are looking for Spartacus, and everyone stands up and says "I'm Spartacus"; the scene is more dramatic than written here. I love the drama, maybe melodrama, the grand scale, the cast of amazing actors, and since I have learned more of the history of the film, that just adds to it. Ustinov plays his role with a touch of comedy, dry wit and tongue in cheek; Olivier is cool and calculating; Laughton is calculating but honest about some of his foibles and weaknesses (food and women); there is something about Jean Simmons that I find captivating, her voice, her almost ethereal presence, I don't know. Douglas as Spartacus is pretty flawless, which is not typical of most heroes, there is sign of weakness, not even being prideful; I don't think it detracts anything, though, the movie is so big and there are other flawed characters. This would be a great movie for an autumn night in front of the fire, perhaps some Italian wine and cheese, if you're so inclined.

Creed and a little television viewing

3/21/16 Creed, 2015 nominated for Best Supporting Actor

To paraphrase Robert Burns "The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry." Way back in January, which seems like eons ago, I was going to see Creed, but I thought I should see Rocky first. I saw Rocky but couldn't get to Creed. Until now. You may recall there was quite the foofaraw when the Oscar nominations came out regarding the lack of diversity in the nominees, and Creed was one of the movies cited. Sylvester Stallone was nominated for Best Supporting Actor, but Ryan Coogler (director) and Michael B. Jordan (Adonis Creed) were not. This was not the first time that Coogler and Jordan were not nominated for a worthy film (in my opinion) - Fruitvale Station was a powerful movies and deserved consideration. But, I think that both of those men are very talented and we'll hear more from them. So, back to the movie. Rocky Balboa (Stallone) is a much older man, now a widower and seemingly without close friends, still living in Philadelphia. Adonis Johnson (Jordan) is a young man in California, who after a rough childhood in group homes, has found success in the securities world, but he would rather box. Adonis was taken in by Apollo Creed's widow, Mary Anne (played by the beautiful Phylicia Rashad) she doesn't want him to fight. Of course he has to follow his dreams and heads to Philadelphia with the hope of getting Rocky to train him. We follow as Rocky, albeit reluctantly, trains Adonis the way Mickey trained him over 35 years before. Adonis (Donnie) wants to make it on his own, not relying on his father's name and fame, but it eventually gets out. Donnie gets a couple of fights, and the last one is a doozy. I really loved this movie; the script does a great job of recalling the memories of the earlier Rocky movies without getting weighed down by nostalgia, and I never thought I would say this, but Sylvester Stallone was really good. Rocky was more grounded, not the goofball he was in the first movie, but insightful and well-spoken when he was giving guidance to Donnie, whom he treats like a son. The chemistry between Rocky and Donnie (or maybe better to say Stallone and Jordan) was perfect, it seemed like they had been working together for a long time, the banter and the arguments were very realistic and believable. I'm guessing there will be a sequel and if there is, I hope Stallone is in it as well, and I also hope they can catch lightning in a bottle twice. Donnie also had a love interest, Bianca (Tessa Thompson). Most of you know I'm not a fan of love stories in the middle of my movies, but this worked; it wasn't too much or mushy and it didn't detract from the main story.

Philadelphia

 

 

 

 

I have a surprise for you: I'm working on another list. I love Agatha Christie: Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot and even some of the lesser known works. David Suchet completed making television movies for all of the Hercule Poirot collection and I have decided to watch all of them (again). I won't be reviewing them all, but I may give periodic updates, or not. I may be spontaneous. What I do want to share is how much David Suchet IS Hercule Poirot, no disrespect to Peter Ustinov or Albert Finney, but it's no competition. Poirot, and the others in the canon, are still so popular today because there is no artifice; no ultra complicated plots with bizarre twists; a video tour of England, and the stories are set in a bygone era, and yet so much a part of it - the art deco, the world after Downton Abbey, if you will; and the characters themselves - Poirot, Hastings, Japp, Miss Lemon totally own their idiosyncrasies, and Poirot operates from the most honest of premises - always for the greater good and he has no patience for evil intentions, but compassion for the oppressed, less fortunate and lovelorn. And, I love his quirks, the way he uses his "little gray cells". More to follow.

The other series I mentioned a while ago was "Nurse Jackie" with Edie Falco. I am now in season seven, the last one, and I will be sad it's over, but it's probably time for it to end. Some shows make the mistake of going on too long and rehashing stories or getting so ridiculous it's just stupid. I think they avoided that issue, but I suppose anything can happen in the next 6 episodes. I really like this series - in less than 30 minutes I laugh, I cringe, I get irritated, and I care about these characters who are very multidimensional and complex. My favorite is Zoey, who has come a long way from being shy and uncertain to being a really good nurse, with a good heart and is unable to form a malicious thought. A friend and I were discussing how much there is to watch, so many options it's hard to choose. If you're looking for something new, I would suggest "Nurse Jackie".

My next stop is Cleveland and my favorite theater, the Cedar-Lee, and lunch at Tommy's, and with any luck, I will get in one day at the Cleveland International Film Festival AND Batman v. Superman with my brother.
 

Going back - In the Heat of the Night, A Streetcar Named Desire, Dances with Wolves and Rocky

I requested several classic movies from the library before the Oscar nominations were announced because I thought I was in really good shape. Ah, overconfidence. I thought since I had them, I should watch them, cross them off the list and move on. It feels like a strategy one might use in a hot dog eating contest, eat and move on to the next one. I will try to give good and reliable reviews despite my cinematic overload.


1/15/16 In the Heat of the Night, Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Film Editing, Best Sound, Best Writing Adapted Screenplay, 1967 #75 AFI, National Film Registry

So, the movie was made 48 years ago, in the midst of the American Civil Rights movement, with two of the greatest actors at that time, and perhaps ever. One was nominated for Best Actor and won, and the other was not even nominated, not for this movie or the other big movie he was in, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. Rod Steiger won Best Actor and Sidney Poitier was not even nominated. Seriously.  If I was a cynic, I would say things haven't changed all that much in Hollywood. 1967 was a great year for films, nominated films included Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, Cool Hand Luke (a favorite of mine; Newman lost out to Steiger), The Graduate, Bonnie and Clyde (ack), and Camelot among others. Virgil Tibbs (Poitier) finds himself as the prime suspect in the murder of a wealthy man in Sparta, Mississippi. The problem is Virgil is black and the victim is white (although from Chicago) and Mississippi is in the South. Virgil shortly proves that he is actually a police detective from Philadelphia, and is ordered by his superior officer to stay and help Chief Gillespie (Steiger) solve the murder.  Tibbs and Gillespie have a strained relationship at best, with Tibbs upsetting, well actually smacking, a wealthy scion of the community, who also happens to be a remnant from the antebellum South. Tibbs finds himself surrounded by violent racist members of the community on more than one occasion. The movie as a movie is a murder mystery that needs to be solved by the stranger; the stranger happens to be a Northerner and black, which adds to the tension. Norman Jewison directed In The Heat of the Night and a little over 15 years later he directed another murder mystery that includes race relations and another great black actor, Denzel Washington. Steiger digs into the gum-chewing, drawling chief Gillespie who may not be a card carrying member of the NAACP, but he's also pragmatic and realizes that Tibbs may bring some detection skills to the case. Steiger is as explosive as Poitier is cool and restrained, we only see Tibbs really lose his temper once; he handles the indignities of being called 'boy' with a controlled anger, he tells Gillespie that "They call me Mister Tibbs" back in Philadelphia. Poitier and Steiger are a study in contrasts and I really enjoyed the scenes they did together, watching two geniuses at work. You cannot go wrong watching this movie, ever.

Philadelphia Art Museum

1/16/16 Rocky, Best Picture, Best Director, Best Film Editing, 1976, #57 AFI, National Film Registry
 You cannot even think about Rocky Balboa and not hear that theme music. Rocky has become part of the American pantheon, the man who makes his dream come true and gets the girl. I saw the original years ago, and honestly, was, like, meh, and I think I have maybe seen one of the sequels, so I wanted to see if I had changed or at least I could have some appreciation for the king of underdog movies. And, I guess I was motivated because Creed is a continuation of the Rocky saga and Sylvester Stallone has been nominated for Best Supporting Actor (however, Michael B. Jordan, playing Apollo Creed's son, was not nominated). Anyway, back to the movie at hand, Rocky. Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) is a boxer in Philadelphia who is sort of successful, but never really got that big break. He still fights, but he also acts as the muscle for a local loan shark. Rocky likes Adrian (Talia Shire), who works at a pet store and is really shy. Adrian is Paulie's sister, and Paulie (Burt Young) wants to get in with Rocky's boss. Rocky gets his shot at the big time when Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) needs a quick replacement for an injured opponent. Creed is smooth and rich, and if you think too hard, you would probably not believe that he would ever ask Rocky to fight, but Rocky is a local boy, a Southpaw and he has a cool nickname, Italian Stallion. Rocky starts to train for the big fight, reconnecting with Mickey (Burgess Meredith in an Oscar-nominated supporting role). Mickey sounds like he gargled with glass shards and he's just as gruff. Don't look to him for comfort. There are great shots of Rocky running through the streets of Philadelphia and up steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum. The fight sequence is very well done, with both fighters landing blows as well as taking them. What was interesting to me, and it's funny looking back forty years, is that Rocky was made with a 1.1 million dollar budget, but made over $225 million. But because of the tight budget, there were things that couldn't be re-shot, or that were shot differently, like the ice skating scene - they couldn't afford to have as many actors as they wanted, so, they filmed it with just Rocky and Adrian. Who would have thought that a franchise was born. I was also impressed with Stallone as Rocky, before he knew he was going to be a huge multi-million dollar star. Rocky in this first film was very sensitive and tender but with a huge heart and a some naivete as well. He's a huge animal lover and a kid from the neighborhood. Perhaps you knew this, but I had no idea. I really liked it and it finally dawned on me why he's such a popular character. You've probably seen it already, but if you haven't, get some Philly cheese steaks and some hoagies and watch a homegrown American hero.


1/16/16 A Streetcar Named Desire, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Art Direction  - Set Direction B&W, 1951, #47 AFI, National Film Registry

I planned to watch A Streetcar Named Desire when I watched On the Waterfront, it made perfect sense. Although, if you recall, I requested the play and not the film. Grr. I did finally get the correct item and re-watched the film; I say 're-watched' because I watched it about ten years ago. The film version stars Marlon Brando as Stanley Kowalski, Kim Hunter as Stella Kowalski, Stanley's wife (winning an Oscar as Best Supporting Actress), Vivien Leigh as Blanch DuBois, Stella's sister (winning an Oscar for Best Actress) and Karl Malden as Mitch, Stanley's friend and Blanche's suitor (Best Supporting Actor). The story is set in New Orleans, and New Orleans is as much a character as the actors. Stanley and Stella live in the upstairs of a two family home and have their own version of wedded bliss until Blanche comes for a visit. It took me about half of the film to not be annoyed by Blanche (Leigh), she seems so over the top. It occurred to me that perhaps that intention and not overacting (I really don't know) because that is Blanche's character Leigh is acting as Blanch and Blanche is acting. Blanche has left the family estate/plantation, Belle Reve under unclear circumstances and has nowhere else to go. Stanley is not very sympathetic to Blanche, but he bends to Stella's loyalty to her older sister. Blanche's behavior is erratic, somehow not of this world and as a viewer, we don't know exactly what is going on or why she is acting this way. She certainly seems delusional at times. Mitch, a bachelor living with his elderly and ailing mother, is taken by Blanche's charm and ladylike disposition and they begin seeing each other, but we find out that they're meetings are usually in darkly lit places. Stanley wants Blanche out of his home and sets out to find what really happened in her home of Auriol, and why Blanche left. Throughout the film we see how explosive Stanley's temper can be, especially when he's been drinking or Blanche and Stella harangue him for being 'a dirty Pollack' or a pig. He gets physical with Stella, pushing and shoving, smacking her, and her reaction is to be angry and run to her neighbor's house, but it does not take much for her to come back to Stanley, in fact, she seems to be turned on by his aggressive animalistic behavior. Brando as Stanley can be violent and brutal but then seems to be so tender with Stella. It's an intense performance. Stanley uses his contacts to learn more about Blanche and it seems that Blanche may have had a mental breakdown and did things that a proper lady would never do, so much that she was run out of town. There is a lot that unfolds and with any great movie, the drama comes from the unraveling. What I will tell you is that if you have only seen Vivien Leigh as Scarlet O'Hara in Gone with the Wind, her portrayal of Blanche will surprise you; as strong as Scarlet was, Blanche is fragile and not as resilient. Kim Hunter was in the original Broadway production of A Streetcar Named Desire (as were Brando and Malden, only Leigh was not, her role played by Jessica Tandy, although Leigh was in the play in London) and she seems to have the chemistry with Brando, and she can go nose to nose with him during their arguments. There are some differences between the play and the movie, some changes were made due to the morality of movies at the time and what you could show and say and what you couldn't; allusions to homosexuality are strongly muted, and the ending is also different than the play.  Brando is powerful and was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar, but lost out to Humphrey Bogart in African Queen.

1/16/16 Dances with Wolves, Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Sound, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score, 1990, National Film Registry

 If I said I was avoiding this movie, for once I would not be exaggerating. As a rule, I am not a Kevin Costner fan and a movie that goes for three hours is a big turn off. BUT, for some reason it seemed like a good idea. And, much to my surprise, I liked it, not loved, but not hated either. The movie is set in the 1860s as the US is expanding westward.  Kevin Costner is Lieutenant John Dunbar a soldier in the Union Army who is wounded and then sent to a post out west at his request. The post is deserted, but he is spotted by the Pawnee and the Sioux. Through a series of events, he befriends the Sioux, especially Stands with a Fist (Mary McDonnell) a white woman who was adopted by the Sioux, and her adopted father, Kicking Bird. The movie is three hours long so I'm not going to give you a detailed synopsis. There are trials and tribulations, a battle with the Pawnee and fight with Army soldiers. Dunbar lives with the Sioux and takes on the name "Dances with Wolves". A lot of the movie is in Lakota with either subtitles or Stands with a Fist translating. There are a lot of great things about the movie, in particular the scenery is really beautifully filmed, the plains of South Dakota and Wyoming, the wildlife, including the bison (although they were part of private herds). The score by John Barry is very powerful as well. The acting was well done, with Mary McDonnell and Graham Greene both outstanding. Costner was okay, too. The movie gives an unkind and somewhat barbaric portrayal of the Army soldiers, and much is based on fact. Looking back a hundred years can be tough, especially when you know the things that were done were wrong. Maybe the expansion was inevitable, but it was brutal. Ways of life were lost and people killed. Dances with Wolves sheds a little light on that; it may not be textbook, and perhaps the Lakota dialect was not perfect, but I will admit I was wrong about hating it and that maybe watching it will encourage people to learn more about Native American history.

The next entry you see should include more of the 2015 nominees, including: The Danish Girl, Star Wars, Ex Machina, Cinderella and (I'm so creeped out by this) Fifty Shades of Grey.

Movies from 2015 including Concussion, Southpaw and Shaun the Sheep

Is it possible to burn out your retinas? I suppose I could Google it. I think I have watched more movies in the past month than in the whole year. It sure feels like it. I consider myself fairly lucky that most of the movies have been above average, and only a few horrid, and even better, most of them have been free or cost less than $2. I love a bargain.

12/31/15 Ride Along, 2014

For some reason I thought that Ride Along was releases in 2015 and could perhaps be eligible for an Oscar (don't look at me like that, if Ted and Bad Grandpa can be nominated, anything is possible). Er, except it was released in 2014 and had not been nominated. That's okay, I had an ulterior motive in that Ride Along 2 is coming out this year, and I thought I should get up to speed on the Ice Cube/Kevin Hart 'series'. As they say themselves in the special features, this is a buddy film, and who doesn't like a buddy film? I didn't like Hart's most recent buddy film Get Hard, but I do like Hart and I needed something light, and this was perfect for my friends and me on New Year's Eve (it also got two thumbs up from my 16 year old friend, and who can argue with that?). Kevin Hart is Ben Barber, a high school security guard with aspirations of becoming an Atlanta police officer; he is also living with Angela, and her brother is a bad ass Atlanta detective, James Payton (Ice Cube) who cannot stand Ben. In an effort to scare Ben off, or at least keep him out of the police academy, Payton offers to take Ben out on a ride along and gives him all of the crazy calls; it almost works, but Ben sticks it out, but gets caught up in a gun smuggling scheme with Payton's bugaboo, Omar (Laurence Fishburne). There are definitely some laugh out loud moments; Hart is funny, he has a comedic delivery and timing that make a funny moment hilarious. Ice Cube is a great straight man, and gives Hart the room to deliver. I guess it got bad reviews, but I think how you rate a film depends on what you expect from it; my expectations were for a few laughs and maybe a little action, not a deep, complex story. We laughed and I'm planning on seeing Ride Along 2 next month. Not everything has to be an Oscar nominee.

1/1/16 Concussion, not yet nominated, 2015

I used to watch football every Sunday, run a fantasy football league and be in another, but my feelings started to change after Junior Seau committed suicide in 2012. I lost interest and have watched only one or two games since then. Concussion is a film about the research into traumatic brain injuries in football by Dr. Bennett Omalu, played by Will Smith, and his attempts to bring this to the attention of the National Football League. Omalu was a forensic pathologist with the Allegheny County Coroner in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and he first started investigating with the unexplained death of Mike Webster (David Morse), All-Pro Hall of Fame center for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Omalu knew nothing about football, but he wanted an explanation for Webster's death. He is unaware of the firestorm he is walking into as he pulls the curtain back on the most popular sport in America. Omalu is unorthodox in his approach but he has the full support of his boss and mentor, Dr. Cyril Wecht (played by Albert Brooks). Omalu also gets an unexpected ally in Dr. Julian Bailes (Alec Baldwin) who was the team doctor for the Steelers and was part of the committee to look into brain injuries in the NFL. Smith is getting a lot of praise for his role, and he is very good as the Nigerian-born doctor who firmly believes in the American dream. He may very get a nomination for Best Actor, but I don't know if the movie is strong enough to get him the Oscar. I also think that Brooks should get a nomination for Best Supporting Actor. I liked the movie very much, but there was something about the pacing of it that seemed to bog it down and stop the momentum. That doesn't take anything away from the information that is provided in the movie about the potential for severe brain trauma when the head experiences repeated blows. It also doesn't change the fact that the NFL is a money-making goliath and does not want to lose fans or participants. As Omalu says in the movie (I do not know if that's a scripted creation or really happened) but he just wants the players to know the risks they face. Some players have walked away from possibly very lucrative careers because they did not think the risk was worth the cost; others have said it's the way the game is. 

1/1/16 Southpaw, not yet nominated, 2015

When Southpaw was released, way back in July, Jake Gyllenhaal was getting a lot of press for his role as Billy Hope; perhaps an Oscar nomination would be in his future. Unfortunately, as I have learned, movies that are released early in the season often get forgotten when it comes time for nominations. However, I hope that I am wrong. When the movie opens, Billy Hope is defending his title; he's the champ and he has a beautiful wife, Maureen (Rachel McAdams) and daughter, Leila (Oona Laurence), a huge house, a posse, everything. Then, after a confrontation with a potential rival, Miguel Escobar (Miguel Gomez), Maureen is shot and killed. Hope's world pretty much crashes in on him and he loses his daughter to child protective services. All Billy knows how to do is box, so he heads to a local gym which is owned and run by Tick Wills (Forest Whitaker); Wills hires Billy to clean up around the gym. He won't let Billy box until he feels he's ready. Eventually, Billy proves he is ready to box again, and he also works to get Leila back. Billy gets an offer to fight Escobar from his former manager, played by 50 Cent, and it's a chance to make some money and find some redemption. Wills reluctantly agrees to train Billy for the fight (he doesn't train professional fighters). Antoine Fuqua (Training Day, The Equalizer) directed and he injects a score by the late James Newton Howard and a soundtrack by Eminem into the drama. I found the soundtrack jarring, but I suppose that was the idea. Whitaker is so good - you feel there is so much more under the surface to Tick and he's not eager to share. Gyllenhaal as Hope is so angry, you feel that he could explode any minute, which he does; Billy and Maureen both came up through child protective services, they are really all they have. I haven't seen Creed yet, but I don't know if the voters will recognize two boxing movies.

1/1/16 Shaun the Sheep, not yet nominated, 2015

I often wonder who decides something is the 'best'; like who thought Shaun the Sheep was one of the best animated features of 2015? It was made by the Aardman Studios, although not Nick Park or Peter Lord, and that should have been my first clue that this was not Wallace and Gromit. Shaun the Sheep was first seen in Wallace and Gromit's A Close Shave, and I would have preferred a short film instead of a full length feature. The movie opens with the sheep, the dog and the farmer going through their routine, day after day, kind of being bored, so they go on a camping adventure. The farmer gets amnesia and the animals try to find him in the city, but get captured by the animal control officer. So, they have to escape and once they find him, now as a hair stylist (sheep shearing pays big dividends), he doesn't remember them. Yeah, I think it would have been better as a 45 minute short, but I don't think it was the best animated film; I do think that belongs to Inside Out.

I have another blog going to document my experience (and others') on public transit. Check it out: http://doingthebusrun.blogspot.com/

A documentary buffet featuring food, science, a Big Bird and a boxing legend

10/24/15 Deli Man, Documentary, 2015 not yet nominated

The title of the film, Deli Man, probably gives away the subject matter: the Jewish deli and its slow demise across America. I don't have too many hopes that the movie will be nominated for an Oscar, and with so many good documentaries out there, I'm not sure it should be nominated, but I want to support it because I did help to fund it on Kickstarter and it's an enjoyable movie. Deli Man gives us a little history of the Jewish deli, how immigrants brought over food from their home countries and the cultural aspect of food. Director Erik Greenberg Anjou uses Ziggy Gruber, a New York transplant in Houston and owner of Kenny and Ziggy's (I hope to visit on my trip to Houston), as the focal point. Ziggy grew up in delis and has a passion for the history of delis, which is also the history of his family. Watching Deli Man made me think of the delis at home in Cleveland, the delis I have visited in New York (service with a snarl) and the few I have experienced in the Twin Cities. There is something about the dish of kosher pickles and pickled tomatoes on the table, the familiarity of the dishes: latkes, knishes, corned beef (no thank you), challah and more. I get hungry just thinking about it. I wish the movie had smell-o-vision, but it did not. People gather around food and it's a great ice breaker, I mean who doesn't love matzo ball soup? 


11/7/15 Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief, 2015 not yet nominated

Going Clear received a lot of publicity even before it was released because of the subject matter: Scientology. Alex Gibney (Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine and many others) directed the movie and interviewed former members of Scientology's inner circle, but not some of its more famous members like John Travolta and Tom Cruise. There was this pervasive  feeling of paranoia as I listened to all of the things that were being done or that was happening to believers of Scientology. It's a belief system (I hesitate to call it a 'religion', although the federal government recognizes it as a religion for tax purposes) that does not appear to value independence or free thought and perhaps has even gotten worse in the past two decades (or more) under David Miscavige who has a god complex (based only on the footage presented). I don't like to disparage people's beliefs, but this seems so obviously cult-like and absurd that it's hard to conceive of people giving thousands of dollars to it, much less submitting to the control alleged by those who have left. The movie gives an historical background on L. Ron Hubbard, the creator of Dyanetics and Scientology, and it does not necessarily paint him in a good light and includes background on the different levels in Scientology and interviews with former members. I thought this film was better done than Steve Jobs, and I cared more about the people in the film and I felt something, whereas in Steve Jobs I did not.


11/13/15 Merchants of Doubt, 2014

If you have a critical thinking bone in your body or brain, watching this movie will make you so angry at those people who can't look past the nose on their faces for the truth. It's scary and enraging. Merchants of Doubt refers to the people who work to cast doubt on scientific discovery, usually by disparaging and attacking the scientists personally since they really cannot factually dispute the science. The director, Robert Kenner, uses Naomi Oreskes, an historian of science and co-author of the book Merchants of Doubt, and Stanton Glantz, an activist for tobacco regulation, to give the background on these tactics, that go back to when the tobacco industry denied any harmful effects from smoking. Then, when it was proven that the tobacco industry KNEW there were negative effects from smoking, they tried to turn the tables and make it the smokers' fault. It's mind boggling. Oreskes has done a lot of research on the people behind these tactics and their anti-scientific approaches. One of the main topics examined in the film is global warming; and what is scary is how the deniers of global warming use fake science, misdirection and economic fear to sway people. Kenner interviews 'converts' those who didn't believe in global warming, thought it was a scare tactic by liberals but who have since read the scientific reports and now try to dispute the deniers. Bob Inglis, former Republican Congressman from Oklahoma, is one of those now trying to take the 'party politics' out of a very serious situation. He does it with grace and eloquence and a determination that is inspiring, even though he lost his seat to a candidate supported by the Tea Party. I cannot recommend this movie strongly enough. It presents the facts and evidence in a strong and convincing way, and the fact that many of the deniers say that yes, global warming is happening but we can't afford to do anything about it and it's government overreach, gives lie to their position. Kenner directed the Oscar-nominated documentary Food, Inc. which is about the food industry and made me not want to eat for a short period.


11/21/15 I am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story, 2015, not yet nominated

Who doesn't like Big Bird? He represents that little kid in all of us, he asked the questions we wanted to ask and did the silly things we liked to do. I am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story gives us a behind the scenes look at Caroll Spinney, the Muppeteer behind Big Bird and the yin to his yang, Oscar the Grouch. We gather from Spinney and the people who know him that he really was Big Bird, that with or without the 8 foot tall costume, he would still have that wonderment. We meet many of the cast from Sesame Street including Bob, Luis, Susan and Maria, and hear how they felt Big Bird represented the children who were watching, but also their thoughts about Caroll as a performer. There was a period of time where Big Bird was everywhere, going all over the world, including a newly opened China. Spinney has been playing Big Bird for forty years, and seems to have no immediate plans to retire, despite the fact that playing Big Bird can be physically exhausting. the magic does not diminish even though we learn how Big Bird works, we get an inside look into the feathery costumer. A story about Big Bird would not be complete without the father of the Muppets, Jim Henson making an appearance, and Spinney speaks of him with great affection and of how Henson believed in him, even when things got discouraging. I always liked Big Bird, but I think I love him, and Sesame Street, more now and have a great appreciation for the respect they have for their audience. As a documentary, I kept waiting for 'something', but I don't have words to describe what it was. I am so glad I saw it and I hope more people do, but I don't think it will be nominated for an Oscar. That doesn't diminish it in any way, though. Check it out.

11/21/15 Unforgivable Blackness, 2005

Jack Johnson (1878-1946) was the most dominant fighter of his time; he was also a black fighter during a period when some Americans still had bitter memories of Reconstruction and less than enlightened views of the black man. The Ken Burns documentary, based on the book of the same name by Geoffrey C. Ward, uses film footage and newspaper articles and first person accounts, including Johnson's. Burns places Johnson's story in an historical, sociological, cultural and sports context, and this gives you a sense of what it was like in the first two decades of the 20th century. While black men could box, it was often to entertain white men; the fighters might be blindfolded, among one variation; but they could not fight for the championship. It would never do to have a black man fight a white man (what if the Negro won?) and in fact the white heavyweight champion, James Jeffries refused to fight Johnson. Fights were stopped before Johnson could knock out his opponents (and he surely would have) because there was a fear of rioting if a white man was knocked out by a black man (fear seemed to be a common theme in the reactions to Johnson). Johnson looks massive in the century old footage in comparison to his opponents; much like Mike Tyson towered over his opponents. Back in the early days of boxing, matches could be scheduled for twenty rounds, in fact, one of Johnson's fights was scheduled to go 45 rounds, unimaginable today. Aside from his boxing prowess and physical strength, Johnson was an independent minded man, not really caring what anyone thought of him. He dated and lived with white women which in that time was scandalous; he openly said that nobody would tell him who he could love. He had impeccable taste in clothes and cars; he was well-spoken. If he was living in the 21st century, he would probably rub elbows with LeBron James and Floyd Mayweather, but he didn't live in 2015, he lived in 1915, and Johnson's confidence and bravado offended so many in the white establishment, and as the story unfolds, his overconfidence led to his slow downfall. Burns always does a great job of telling the story of America and her people and this is no different; Burns includes the inimitable James Earl Jones, who played Johnson in "The Great White Hope", Stanley Crouch, a writer, Bert Sugar, a boxing historian, among others to keep the viewer interested. You get a lesson in the racial climate of the US sneakily wrapped up in a history of boxing. Burns' guests do a better job than I can of encapsulating everything and they have a couple of hours to do it. It was uncomfortable watching and listening to some of the footage because the blatant, uncompromising racism and hatred toward Johnson is repugnant, especially when it seemed that he really didn't have those same feelings (perhaps he did, but it wasn't apparent to me), he just wanted to box and be the best and have fun doing it, and he was a little arrogant. Show me a boxer who isn't that way; in fact, James Earl Jones says that when Muhammad Ali came to see "The Great White Hope", he said if you substitute the issue of being with white women for religion, the story was Ali's. We don't hear a lot about Jack Johnson these days; I learned about him in college when I did an independent study, but otherwise, I don't think would have known about him. Johnson had his flaws, and he was a polarizing figure, but his story is definitely worth learning about.

Casablanca, Raging Bull, Glen Campbell and more

Time flies. I honestly don't know where the time went, but it's clearly been quite some time since I have posted. So, I'll get right to it.

8/29/15 Casablanca, Outstanding Motion Picture, Best Director, Best Writing, Screenplay, 1942 #3 AFI, #9 BBC, National Film Registry

I watched Casablanca years ago and it didn't strike me as anything all that great, but since I have now watched hundreds of movies and have a better appreciation for movies, I thought I would watch it again. If you didn't know, Casablanca stars Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Heinreid and Claude Raines in 1940s Casablanca, Morocco and was directed by Michael Curtiz. It's a drama, but there are also sly comedic moments that I especially liked. Bogart is Rick Blaine the owner Rick's Cafe Americain where there is music and food, and maybe, if you know the secret password, a little gambling. Bergman and Heinreid are Ilsa Lund and Victor Laszlo, a couple on the run from the Nazis, Victor is a leader of the Czech resistance, and Ilsa and Rick had a brief love affair in Paris. Raines is Police Captain Louis Renault, and he may be my favorite character in the film. Rick has come into possession of letters of transport which can be used for safe passage out of Morocco and Ilsa tries to use their past relationship to get them for her and Victor; Rick is still bitter (I totally get that) about Ilsa abruptly ending their affair and is not willing to hand over the letters. In the meantime, there are some shenanigans with visiting German soldiers, including a great rendition of La Marseillaise sung defiantly by the house band and guests at Rick's. That's a pretty high level overview, there are a lot of other little encounters and famous lines to be seen firsthand. I will say that I really did like this movie so much more the second time around; I have seen Bogart in several films now, and enjoy his restrained and controlled performances, although it is hard to believe that if this movie was recast today, he would be cast as the leading man, but he had that 'something'. I am also going to say something that might be considered blasphemy, but I don't get Ingrid Bergman or at least the fascination with her in this role; I much prefer her in her later roles in Ingmar Bergman films.What really struck me as I was watching this movie is that it was made during World War II and that there were so many actors who had fled Europe in the previous ten years. Among the films that Casablanca beat out for the year's best picture were For Whom the Bell Tolls (awful, painful to watch), The Song of Bernadette (a lovely film, perfect for the holidays) and several that I have not seen yet or heard of prior to doing this blog. Casablanca has certainly become a part of the American idiom, so for that alone, it's worth watching just to hear all those famous lines in their original context, but it is a really good movie. 856050694Casa


9/5/15 Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me, nominated for Best Song, 2014

Honestly I'm not even sure what to say because I may start crying. Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me is a documentary that follows Glen Campbell, his wife Kim and their three kids on Campbell's last tour as they deal with Campbell's Alzheimer's. At the beginning of the documentary, Campbell has trouble remembering who is in home movies and the names of his kids, but he is still pretty sharp with lyrics and playing the guitar, but over time, we see him struggle with lyrics and his stage performances. The movie touches on Campbell's past musical accomplishments, including being part of the Wrecking Crew (who play on the song "I'm Not Gonna Miss You"), his television show, his incredible musicianship, but it also gives us a glimpse into his family life and playing onstage with his three youngest kids. We hear mostly from Ashley Campbell about how it is to rehearse and play with her dad, and how she has learned to cope with his outbursts and we watch her interact with her dad on stage. It was incredibly brave to let James Keach and his cameras into their lives at this challenging time, to let fans and non-fans see Glen Campbell at less than 100%, but in the year of Still Alice, maybe this was perfect timing for a film like this. The song "I'm Not Gonna Miss You" was sung poignantly by Tim McGraw at the Oscars, but it is an absolute kick to the gut to watch it during the film and see Glen's old friends (Hal Blaine, Don Randi) playing on this song. If you're a regular reader, you now I have a soft spot for documentaries, and this one is a definite must-see; it may make you cry, but it's also life-affirming to see the love of Glen's family and friends, and fans.

9/6/15 Raging Bull, Best Actor, Best Film Editing, 1980 #4 AFI, #29 BBC, National Film Registry

In my review of Casablanca I was happy to change my original opinion of the movie after re-watching it; sad to say, I cannot say the same for Raging Bull. I love Robert DeNiro, he is so good, and I mostly like Martin Scorsese films, but I did not enjoy or like or even appreciate this biopic of boxer Jake LaMotta. LaMotta (as played by DeNiro) has almost no redeemable qualities; the one he does have - a desire to make it big himself, without help from the mob - is washed away by his ambition. I wish I had those two hours back.

9/6/15 Timbuktu, nominated Best Foreign Film, 2014

Timbuktu is set in Mali, although it was filmed in Mauritania and it is about the occupation of Timbuktu by members of an extreme Islamist group (one could assume ISIS) and how this group of mostly outsiders tries to impose their will and rules on the native population, which is more moderate and seemingly tolerant in their beliefs. In many ways what we see on film is what we see on the news all the time, except that we see this on much more personal and up close level; the people aren't nameless and faceless victims running over the news scroll on CNN, they have names and families and the hypocrisy of the oppressors makes us angry. The story of Kidane's family made me angry and sad, and I really wanted to punch someone. When the woman selling fish is told to cover herself and wear gloves (while she is selling fish, hello), she argues back and tries to point out the idiocy of this command, and she is willing to be hauled away rather than submit to these interlopers; I was rooting for her the whole time. I think it's important for movies like this to be made for a few reasons: one, it's a poke in the eye of the extremist movements and historically films, books, songs that do that are very important, for morale if nothing else; it is a very brave thing for these filmmakers and actors and crew to undertake because their is really no question that there are risks in giving the proverbial finger to groups like ISIS; and it's important for us as Americans/Westerners who may only think of Islam in terms of good vs. evil (Islam usually being 'evil) to see that just like many religions (and other groupings) there is a spectrum, and that even though the villagers are Muslim, they are also farmers or fisherman and parents, they may even like music; basically they are people, and should not be painted with the same brush. This movie to me touched me so much more than that awful Ida (clearly I'm still irritated by that film), so see this not that.

9/10/15 Dancing in Jaffa, 2013

I guess carrying on the theme of understanding others through art, let me stretch that to building bridges through dance. Pierre Dulaine is the 'star' of this documentary as he heads back to the home of his childhood in Jaffa, Israel, to try and bring young Palestinians and Israelis together through ballroom dance. It sounds a lot easier than it is; he has to overcome prejudices taught over many years, cultural/religious issues and of course, working with kids can be like herding cats. On a few occasions Dulaine is clearly frustrated by the kids' lack of interest (imagine being a young boy and told you need to hold a girl, oh, and she is a different religion from you and your cultures have been battling for decades - yeah, not easy) and things start to change when he brings in his dance partner of over 30 years, Yvonne Marceau, and they give real life demonstrations to the kids and that seems to grab them a little more. Eventually, he reaches some of the students, and I wish we had more time with them, but you do get to see the development, and the emergence of a confidence and friendships blossoming. He is still doing these classes, and one can only hope that this will break down barriers. We need more Pierre Dulaines. It's a feel good movie even if it's not the best documentary ever.

I am the greatest

OK, not really, but I was trying to get your attention. I was quoting Muhammad Ali, who features in today's review.

When We Were Kings, 2/2/13, Best Documentary, 1996

This movie focuses on the 1974 fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in Zaire. I would not describe myself as a boxing fan, and yet I find that I have watched many movies and documentaries about boxing; I think it’s more about the narrative that surrounds the boxers than the boxing. I think that is definitely true for this movie, which uses contemporaneous footage combined with interviews from roughly 20 years later. I like this style of making a documentary because it uses ‘real-time’ footage, no need for re-creations or re-enacting, but you have the benefit of time passing that allows for reflection and historical perspective. There are interviews with Ali who is engaging, smart, funny and has some really interesting things to say about African-American culture in America (this was filmed less than 10 years after many watershed civil rights events), visiting Africa, other fighters, including George Foreman; George Plimpton and Norman Mailer, notable writers who were at the fight and share their thoughts two decades after the fight; there is some footage of Foreman, but not even close to Ali’s screen time. There is so much more to this documentary than the fight, which gets about 15 minutes of screen time, like the fact the Zaire was once the Belgian Congo and had thrown off Belgian colonial rule in exchange for a homegrown dictator. Mailer, in particular, tells the story of the violence and torture that was in the air during that time. There is also a very clear difference in how Foreman and Ali are treated, and treat, their African hosts. Ali, with his gregarious and open personality, seems instantly beloved by the Zairians, talking, joking with them, learning about their life in Africa; Foreman ‘seems’ (you never really know how editing plays a part) to be disinterested in his hosts and their culture, bringing his German shepherd with him (the commentary indicates that the Belgians had used German shepherds during the colonial days, so this was seen as offensive). In addition to the fighters, there is also Don King, a commanding figure who still generates hearty discussion, and the great musicians that made the journey, including B.B. King and James Brown. What I kept thinking about as I watched the movie was how funny and articulate Ali was, and the things he was saying almost 40 years, could be said today to kids and education, drugs, even eating right. He certainly could be a divisive and outspoken person, but just from the documentary, I don’t think you can doubt his sincerity, even if you disagree with him. Muhammad Ali may be one of the best known Americans in the world, and this movie gives a brief insight into why. It didn't occur to me until the movie was almost over that it was the beginning of African-American History Month, but it was a fitting way to start. If you like boxing, Ali or Foreman, history, or a good story (especially if you don’t know how the fight ends), then you should watch this movie. Spike Lee makes an interesting point about how kids today don’t know anything about history, not just what happened 150 years ago, but what happened 20 years ago. This movie is one step in the right direction.