Judy, the Movie

Rene Zellwegger is over the top in Judy, the story of the last act of Judy Garland’s life. This movie is really difficult to watch, but you can’t look away from the screen as the last couple of years of the actress’s life come to fruition. She had a difficult life, which is portrayed in flashbacks, as well as in present scenes.  Her marriages and children are included, as well as her difficulty with both substance and alcohol abuse, and the decline of her career is heartfelt.  The actress, Rene, does all the singing in the movie and she’s amazing, and particularly so in the final song of the film. I highly recommend this movie, but with the caveat that it is difficult to watch Judy Garland’s life implode.

Once Upon a Time in ... Hollywood

If you want to see an excellent film and have any knowledge of or experience with the 1960s, Once Upon a Time in … Hollywood is the film you have been waiting to see. Quentin Tarantino is not one of my favorite directors because the language and the action of his movies are off-putting to me; however, OUTH is his best film to date.  The story is of a washed-up movie star (Leonardo di Caprio) and his stunt double (Brad Pitt) during the 1960s when some really bad movies were made. The acting back then was … stilted… predictable … mediocre, and Di Caprio and Pitt perfectly capture that aspect of the film-making business. When an actor is on the downhill swing, life loses a lot of its luster, which sometimes makes actors take roles they otherwise would refuse, including starring in a series of what were called "spaghetti westerns" back in the day. Di Caprio's acting perfectly captures the desperation of the actor trying to stay afloat in an industry that is all he has ever known, and Pitt has the role of second banana down pat, hitching his future to DiCaprio's success, which leads to his career taking a dive along with DiCaprio's character's career.

Tarantino is the master of detail, and this movie is densely detailed in the sets, in the set dressings, in the costumes, in the dialog, in the automobiles, in the status symbols of the time, and in the feeling of a decade in transition. The 1960s are known for the hippies and the VietNam War and the free love and the cigarette smoking and the see and be seen attitude about life. Tarantino captures all of it in the main story, which is total Hollywood, but he adds a twist that makes the movie totally engaging and captivating.  It's a challenge to reveal just about enough of the plot twist to get a patron to see the movie without giving it away, but suffice it to say that the character of Sharon Tate plays a huge part in the storyline. She is the quintessential 60s woman, with her go-go boots and her really short short skirts, her flowing blonde hair, and her almost naïve approach to life.

Don't back away from this film because it's a Tarantino, nor because it's about the 1960s. It's a story about life and love and longing and the challenge of growing old in a society that prefers youth. I seldom hand out As as I believe that excellence is unusual, rather than common, but I whole-heartedly give Once Upon a Time in … Hollywood an A+.

Malek is Magic

Is there anyone who hears a Freddie Mercury/Queen song and doesn't stand and sing along?  The music is so powerful and has not lost its attraction in the years since Freddie Mercury died and took the unfinished music with him.

Yesterday was a rainy day and perfect for seeing the bio-pic Bohemian Rhapsody.  I was a bit leery after going to A Star is Born and hating it, but the Queen music is so strong and powerful it can carry a concert like few other artists can.  When Rami Malek took the screen, he had the same commanding presence that Freddie Mercury had.  Malek's portrayal of the founder of Queen was spot on, and I believe that the performance at Live Aid was used in the film, rather than reshooting it with Malek in the role as Malek was that good.  That may not be factually accurate, but I'm a bit of a romantic and want to think that the filmmakers knew they couldn't redo that event and come close to doing it justice. But that scene was magic and commanding and just darned good.  Malek is Mercury.

The theatre was packed and the film earned a standing ovation at the end.  I left the theater vowing to go see the film again as I was totally into it and stunned with Malek's capture of Freddie Mercury.

A Star is Boring

I went to see A Star is Born and didn’t like it at all.  The movie dragged its way through a weak storyline that lost all the zest and zip of past versions of the story. Bradley Cooper over-played a dirty old man, rather than a washed-up singer who is drowning his lousy life in booze and pills. He looked far too old to be with Lady Gaga, and she looked too young and naive to be attracted to him. 

I cringed when they were in the love scenes, especially since the word “fuck” was the primary vocabulary of the movie.  Gaga's character had gone from naïve to salty, and I just didn't buy the changes she made to be with Cooper's character.

I finally turned to my movie buddy and told her I was out; she quickly agreed and we left the theater. Outside, we both agreed that this movie just didn’t have any spark to it, and we were disappointed--especially after reading all the reviews and seeing how highly-rated Rotten Tomatoes listed it.

As far as Oscar-worthy, I say nay—unless there is a new category for “Most Often Used F-word.”

Silly Girl

Having already seen the "big" film of the week, MI, my movie buddy and I decided to see Eighth Grade because she supervises student teachers and wanted to know if this movie was of any help with working in the middle school setting. We left the theater thinking that the film would be appropriate for middle school students to see, but they can't because (for some unknown reason) it's R-rated!

The basic story is somewhat poignant, watching an 8th grade girl struggle to be accepted and normal. She doesn't dress flashy/splashy, and she doesn't have the steady stream of cool speak ready at a moment's notice, but she's a nice girl trying really hard just to have a safe place to be in a sea of really cool classmates. She makes a weekly film blog about being strong, being courageous, putting yourself out there, but it's easier to make the blog than it is to make it happen in real life.

There is no reason for the film to be rated R, and if the target audience is teens, they cannot be admitted to the theater to see the film, and many of that demographic would benefit from seeing the film. The "tuned out" life of a teen is portrayed well, always on the phone/computer and totally removed from what's going on in front of her.  The dismay of not being popular is portrayed quite well, and the movie lets its star have lots of acne and angst, as well as being just a bit chubby. The scene at the pool party said it all:  all the cool girls have on itsy-bitsy bikinis, while our girl is wearing a one-piece with cut-outs. In my opinion, she's dressed more appropriately than the showing it off girls, but I'm out of step with today's trends.

No, I wouldn't recommend this film to an adult audience, but conversely, the entire audience viewing it with me were adults and they seemed to enjoy it.  The two men who came together to the film (for whatever reason) laughed and applauded and had a great time, but perhaps they have a fixation with young girls that got a boost from the pool scene?

Mission Impossible

I used to love watching the Mission Impossible series of movies as they were clever, exciting, and thrilling. The viewer got caught up in the "impossible" nature of the task and the people who comprised the squad of doers. You never really knew what was going to happen--or how it would happen--until the end of the film.

Not so with Tom Cruise's kick-ass adventure Mission. The viewer is told he's clever, but he's not as he just goes straight-on at the stunts to carry the film. The latest MI is a long stream of Cruise doing his own stunts, ending with a heliocopter event that was so ridiculous as to be funny. There really was no story to the film, just the endless chase scenes where, again, Cruise did his own stunts. The viewers in my audience all said the same thing when "that" scene came on: oh, here's where he broke his ankle. Guess I wasn't the only one not caught up in the story!

I would give this film a C: nothing spectacular and really missing the essence of the "impossible" stories that used to be the foundation for the MI franchise. I'm sure it'll be box office gold as everyone goes to it expecting a clever, well-crafted "impossible" storyline. I wonder how many viewers will be honest and admit that this film missed the mark?

I Can Only Imagine

I can only imagine that potential audience members for this excellent film will pooh-pooh it and pick another film to watch because ... dadadadum ... it's a "faith-based" movie, which is a great reason to give it a pass. However, for those viewers who see the film, the story takes over the backdrop wash of religion and the movie is great. It's the story of a young boy who is horribly abused by his father, but he discovers singing in public while in high school, and that talent becomes the driving force of his journey to adulthood. Along the way, there are flashbacks to his abusive childhood, just enough to remind the viewer that this is the story of a journey that many make and some don't survive.

And, the boy's faith becomes stronger as he transitions from the young boy who is abused to the young adult who is on a remarkable journey to adulthood. He keeps searching for answers to the "why" of his childhood, but he doesn't get his answer until he finally returns home and learns that his father is not just dying from cancer, but has also turned his life around. It isn't easy for the young man to trust his father, but together they find a way to reconnect and build a relationship that benefits both of them. After his father's passing, the son returns to performing with his band, Mercy Me, which leads to a pivotal moment that changes his life, as well as his career.

The title of the film and the song it is about is "I Can Only Imagine," and it's worth a visit to the web to hear the song performed by the man who wrote it, Bart Millard, performed it with his band Mercy Me, and changed his life forever with 4 little words.

15:17 to Paris

Clint Eastwood's latest film is not one that will live forever in the halls of excellence, but it's a good movie that lets you know what it's going to do -- and then does it. The film provides the childhood of three men, their teen years, and then their struggle to find themselves as adults. When they decide to tour Europe and share adventures, it is the everyday decision that leads to their destiny when confronted by a terrorist who is going to kill and detonate a bomb on the 15:17 train to Paris.

The three men do a good job of portraying themselves, both in the delivery of their lines and in the action required at their moment that forever changed their lives. It's a very relaxing movie to watch because it doesn't purport to do any more than tell the story, which is a refreshing change from all the symbolic message movies that want you to "get" a message far larger than the screen delivers.

This is a good film for older teenagers to watch because it shows the challenges of growing up and away from what doesn't work in one's life during the quest to find what does work. The boys get into minor trouble as young boys, and struggle to find themselves as teens. When they graduate from high school, they each take a different path, but it's easy to see how their present and past are connected. As a matter of fact, if these young men had not taken the journey they did in their personal growth, they would not have seized the moment and changed the lives of the passengers on the 15:17 to Paris.

I enjoyed this film for the story, for the simplicity of the telling, and for the strength of the message of what we do when we are called upon to "do something" but find ourselves wanting to do nothing because we may put ourselves into danger. I recommend this film to anyone who needs to remember that doing something when it's called for is a greater challenge than simply sitting back and waiting to see what happens.

Hostiles

Hostiles is a Western film that just hit the theaters. My film-going friend is 25% Native American, so she was anxious to see the film and its portrayal of Native Americans. I was nervous based on the title: if it would portray fairly the ethnicities of the story was a big issue for me.

Well, there are many "hostiles," and not just Native Americans. There is conflict of man v. man, man v. woman, man v nature. The American soldiers are tasked with taking some Native Americans back to their own people and, of course, that journey is fraught with danger. The white soldiers are apprehensive, but eventually come around to accepting the Indians in their care. The Indians are resigned to their fate, but are able to fight for their right to complete this journey to their native land.

This film reminded me of the one with the American trapper out in the wilderness who is then confronted by an angry bear and has to survive both his environment and his own personal injuries. The cinematography is excellent, and the journey through the wilderness becomes its own character. The Indians, of course the people we immediately think of as the hostiles, are quite docile until the trappers rape their women. Then, the Indians take care of business and kill the men responsible.

This film is not for everyone, but I enjoyed the storytelling, as well as the beautiful scenery of the journey. The key issue, to allow the Native Americans to return to their own land, is well-told and engaging. I give this film a B+.

The Post, H2O, and Forever, My Girl

Three movies to report on: Shaped Like Water, The Post, Forever My Girl

H2O is just not that good, but it really tries hard to make something of itself. The plot is predictable, but the filmmaker tries to make sure no one knows what’s happening next, but fails. The gal who plays the mute woman does an outstanding job portraying her role, but the rest of the actors don’t stand out. I was hard-pressed to stay until the end, which I predicted 1/3 of the way into the film.

The Post would have been a good 90-minute made for TV movie. Meryl Streep walks through her role, portraying little, if any, acting chops. Her cigarette has a bigger part to play and does it better than Streep.

Forever My Girl is a great rom/com and could have come off the Lifetime channel, which features appropriate films for every season. The music sound track is awesome, the acting is adequate, and the precocious young female role is rightly played by a very good precocious young female actor.

All in all, I give this week’s watching Cs across the board.

Only the Brave

It's challenging to make a good movie out of a story everyone already knows. There is no surprise ending, so how to make the story engaging, interesting, and effective becomes the challenge. The story of the brave fire-fighting Granite Mountain hotshot team whose members lost their lives while fighting a ferocious wildfire in Arizona has been around since that event happened several years ago. It was shocking that 19 men died in the fire, so what would be the purpose in retelling the story?

The film version of the story, Only the Brave, is very effective in building relationships with the 19 men involved in the incident. The viewer sees their humanity, their personal issues that all of us have, but that we leave at home when we report for work. A team is only as strong as its weakest link, so much of the hotshots' time is spent building a fast-moving, effective, dedicated fire-fighting unit. By the time the team earns its hotshot status, the viewer is completely inside the story being shown on the screen.

I did not know that the firefighters died as a result of the failure of the water drop on their location, but that seems to be what happened. The two sides of the out-of-control wildfire suddenly burst into flame and came together, trapping the 19 men, who quickly deployed their individual shelters to protect them from the flames. The water tanker flew directly over their position, but didn't drop the water--and there was nothing that would protect the men from the ferocity of the flames as the fire merged mercilessly at the one exact spot the men were sheltering in place. There was nowhere else for the men to go, so their fate was sealed.

I don't know if the waterdrop would have given them a chance at survival or if that point is moot in the face of the ferocious flames, but my tears and my sorrow for the men were unabated as the film drew to an end.

There is a memorial at a hundred-year-old desert shrub outside Prescott, AZ that the hotshot team saved during another fire. There is a picture of the hotshot crew, smiles wide across their faces as they climbed on top of one another to make a pyramid of them after saving the tree. It made the silent point about the joy these men felt from doing their job to the best of their ability, all the while knowing that any fire could be their last.

Victoria and Abdul and A Mountain Between

Movies this past week were somewhat a snooze, with Judi Dench commanding the screen in Victoria and Abdul in the same performance she has given previously in her recent films. She is being typecast, so it's not her fault that all of her roles are the same from film to film, but I would have loved to have seen this role be a bit more interesting, more dynamic, and a whole lot less predictable. In a couple of places, I said the lines as she was saying them -- and I didn't write the screen script.

I give this film a C as it's pretty much not good enough for an A or B, and not bad enough for a D or Fail.

A Mountain Between is a story of a plane crash in the deeply snowy mountains which is survived by a man and a woman, and a dog, who then have to find either a way to be rescued (not going to happen) or a way to save themselves, which seems highly improbable. However, being a movie, they do get down the mountain and save themselves -- oh, did I just give away the movie? Really not really because it's that predictable. The acting is pretty good in the film, and the dog has a starring role and provides a bit of both comic relief and a moment of sheer terror, followed by heroism.

I almost want to give this film a C+ as it's better overall than just average, but not really outstanding as it's too predictable. Even the ending, which you'll see coming a mile away.

If your theatre has a discount ticket price, I'd go for the least expensive showing as it would seem really not worth it if you paid full prime ticket sales amounts.

The Big Sick and The War Movie

I went to two movies this past week, selecting them based on reviews. One was okay and the other one I walked out on after the first hour.

The Big Sick is a "true" story about a male comedian and his girlfriend, and relies on the cultural contrast between an American girl and a Pakistani boy who meet, date, and fall in love. The story is well-told and moves along nicely, but the language always detracts from my enjoyment of any film, and this film has filthy language.

Dunkirk is also a "true" story about soldiers needing to be evacuated from war. It tells three different stories at the same time, which is probably the biggest fault with the film. Trying to blend three stories into one is always tricky, but there are ways to do it that are seamless; in this film, however, there is no blending. It's challenging to leave the continuity of the narrative up to the viewer to make happen, and I found it distracting at first, and then just plain annoying. About an hour in, I told my movie buddy I was going to leave -- and she, the one who never walks out of a movie, left with me, sharing the same complaints that I had about the film.

I know that these two films will be considered for awards nominations, but while The Big Sick could maybe be an award-winner because most people overlook the foul language, I would be greatly disappointed if Dunkirk won any awards because it's just not that good.

3 Goes for the Movies

Recently, I've viewed three films that I enjoyed enough to recommend. First is The Zookeeper's Wife, followed by Born in China, and then Jeremiah Tower.

The Zookeeper's Wife is a strong story about a woman who dares to defy the political climate in her war-torn country by hiding Jews in the bombed-out zoo where she lives with her family. She devises a way to pick up the Jews, transport them through the German lines, and hide and feed them until they can be transported to safety. It was a daring act of courage, but well worth the efforts she made. I give this film an A- primarily because all the characters speak with an accent, and I find that tedious over the long-run.

Born in China is the moving story of three families of wild animals: the giant panda, the wild monkey, and the leopard. Each of these families have to live in ruggedly isolated terrain to be able to survive as their dietary needs depend on nature. The families are followed through an entire year of life, and it is interesting to engage with the animals in nature and see what the struggle for survival means to them. This is not a children's film, but older children who like animals will enjoy it. This film earns a solid A.

Jeremiah Tower is the biography of a well-known chef who suffered through a challenging early life, and then had three pivotal life-changing events as an adult. The look at his life is told through flash-backs interwoven with contemporary narrative by Jeremiah Tower himself. He fights valiantly for his career in fine dining, but with each step of his career comes an event that collapses what he's worked so hard to achieve. The end of the film is left open: is he permanently out of the food business or just waiting for another chance to fulfill his life-long dream to prepare the best food for patrons who will appreciate his talent. This film earns a strong B+ because it leaves the story open-ended, which I felt would have been better with an actual conclusion.

Beauty and the Beast

Opening day, I saw Beauty and the Beast, the newest iteration of an ages-old story. This version is not, in my opinion, appropriate for young children as it’s too realistic thanks to all the animation and cgi. As a bedtime story, beautiful illustrations capture the essence of the action in individual artwork, but the reader adds the emphasis on the fairy-tale nature of the story. The storyteller can elaborate the beauty of the female character, the charm of the animated household items, and the coldness of the snowy setting. Accordingly, the story reader can downplay the beast until the crowning moment of the story, the waltz with the beauty in a gorgeous, full-skirted gown and the beast charming in a prince’s attire. Very few children want any story beyond the waltz, so a "... and they lived happily every after ..." is all a parent needs to say to a sleepy child.

In the most recent cinema release, however, the beast is very believable as a beast, which takes away the appropriateness for children who will be frightened by the character’s appearance and actions. The animated characters are charming from an adult’s eye, but I doubt most children have any idea that they are “real” people who have been enchanted by the spell cast on the castle and are fearful for their very lives. The fight between the castle-dwellers and the townspeople is far too violent for a fairy tale, and the scenes with the wolves may scare younger viewers into wanting to leave the theater. The fight to the death for the beast is also too violent for most children, but, fortunately, this comes at the end of the film and many of the younger children will have lost interest in the movie.

The settings, the costumes, the singing, the acting -- all are above average. The special effects and cgi are excellent, and the movie holds the attention of an age-appropriate viewer (and some of us who are way past "fairytale" age except as it applies to reading the classics to the next generation).

The summation of the film: young adults and older adults will enjoy this presentation, but children will be scared by it. For the parent who wants a child to know this fairytale, I recommend reading it to your children and saving the film experience for older children who express an interest in seeing the movie and will be able to recognize the difference between a fairytale and the realistic special effects of this presentation.

Manchester by the Sea

With all the buzz Manchester by the Sea has been getting, I decided to go see for myself what this film is all about. I lasted about 20 minutes before I left and got my money back.

It's very slow to start, very slow, and has lots of use of the "f" word, lots and lots. Casey Affleck is so ... laid back? ... that he's almost catatonic. And not much of the story is revealed in the opening of the film.

My film buddy stayed for the entire film and said it got better, but she can't see what all the hype is about, so I'm saying this movie is one to skip. Despite the hype.

Dead on Arrival

It's a good concept, being invaded by alien beings with whom we need to learn to communicate, but it's poorly executed. Think giant octopus, but with 5 legs, and each of the ends of the legs expands into a "hand." The communication is in inky circles, and I'm not sure how we learn to interpret them into our language, but, of course, we do.

The film begins at the end, and the rest of the story goes back to the beginning, so it's really challenging to figure out what the heck is going on. The entire middle part is ... boring. And the beginning and the ending aren't too interesting either.

Arrived is a film I would skip as it's (wait for it) Dead on Arrival at your favorite theater.

Three Slices of Life

Café Society is a comedy of manners: well-dressed, upper-class gentlemen and ladies, living life without a care, but every move carefully crafted, every sentence uttered with perfect inflection. It’s not a film for everyone, but it’s a very typical Woody Allen period piece with pizzazz. The sets and the costumes are spot-on, and the story is what we would call typical of the generation and social class it portrays.

Bad Moms is balls to the walls, flat out funny comedy that mocks the “Stepford Wives” stereotype of a good mother when one character gets fed up with being a good mom and goes rogue. The language is over-the-top and in your face, but the actual storyline is solid and makes a good point about being true to one’s self, rather than trying to live up to a false ideal.

Florence Jenkins is a poignant story of a woman who contracted syphilis from her new husband on her wedding night and is in the final stages of the mental after-effects as she faces her death. She is pleasantly out of touch with reality and quite charming, lavishing affection on everyone with whom she comes in contact. Hugh Grant plays Jenkins’ husband with just the right touch of warmth, kindness, and love without being obsequious.

Three different films, but one thread in common – live life to its fullest the first time around because there is no do-over.

Jason Bourne

Caught the new Bourne film and was wowed with all the action, excitement, and pace of the film. Matt Damon is Jason Bourne, and he brings a passion to the role that elevates his performance to the top of the list of action stars. The actual story is a bit thin, leaving the exciting action (including an over-the-top car chase scene filmed in Las Vegas) to carry the film. The ending pretty much says we'll see act 2 of this film ... soon, which I hope is true. I say go see it!

The Finding Dory Story

My friends and I went to see Finding Dory, having enjoyed Finding Nemo all those many years ago. We settled in amongst the parents with children and laughed our way through age-appropriate coming attractions. Then, it was time; finally, Finding Dory swims onto our screen.

The first half wasn’t bad, but it was draggy. The same point was made countless times and we could have moved on to the next stage of the story much sooner. We stayed with Dory for far too many instances of “I can’t remember” and “I suffer from short-term memory loss” issues. Make the point, reinforce it – and move on. Finally, Dory arrives at an aquarium where her parents have been taken after being found in the open ocean. Dory now knows where they are, but not how to find them – and that’s where the story grinds to a halt.

Young children don’t get all the nuances of the octopus constantly changing its form and camoflauging with its surroundings, but the octopus changes for a full 20 minutes of story time. Young children don’t get all the nuances of the search, including numerous mentions of the pipes and getting lost and taking wrong turns: they just get bored and start acting out. The youngsters near us wondered when Dory was going to find her parents, and so did we not-so-youngsters. Adding in a car chase scene involving the moving van from the aquarium being stopped on a freeway, including going the wrong way in traffic and then being crashed into the bay was simply too much. The children wanted the movie to end, and end happily, but once the truck crashed, they pretty much lost the great moment that finally came far too late for them.

If you’re going to write children’s films, you have to be in the mindset of a child. If this film had simply ended 25 minutes sooner, it would have been wonderfully concluded with a happily-ever-after ending that all children want and need to come to closure. As it is, I can’t recommend the Dory story and find it amazing that word of mouth hasn’t turned the financial faucets off.