And Basketball Too

In spite of getting sucked in once again to the NBA playoffs, I have still found time for movie watching, facilitated by the King County Library, PBS and Netflix streaming. It also helps to be retired.

Here is what I have watched since I posted my last list. [The ratings I give are on my own number system which is explained at the link on the sidebar].

The Sessions – 2012 (3.0). This movie is based on a true story of a man crippled by polio at age 6, who spent the rest of his life in an iron lung from which he could only emerge for a few hours at a time with the aid of a portable respirator. As he reached middle age, he felt his biological clock was ticking and in spite of having no muscle control from his neck down, he wanted to see if he could engage in sexual activity. Since he lived in Berkeley, it was not that difficult to find a sex therapist who used surrogacy in her practice. As we see this thoughtful, sensitive and genuinely witty man relate to his caregivers, his priest and the therapist, we realize that, while the film is understandably sad in dealing with what he has missed in his life, it is also heartening to see how much he was able to accomplish in building personal relationships.

Bugging Hitler’s Soldiers – 2013 (2.9). Shown as an episode of the PBS series Secrets of the Dead, this documentary tells the fascinating story of a British WWII intelligence program under which German prisoners who were considered to be possible sources of high value information, particularly high ranking officers, were housed in an English country estate where they lived a quite comfortable life style. Unbeknownst to the prisoners, the “Lord” who was their host was in fact an intelligence agent, and the premises were thoroughly bugged with the most sophisticated recording devices available. About 50,000 pages of transcripts of conversations were scrutinized and yielded valuable information which helped blunt the effectiveness of the Blitz and confirmed the knowledge and participation of regular army personnel in the Holocaust. In order to keep the technique secret for possible cold war use, the decision was made not to use the transcripts at Nuremberg.

The Central Park Five – 2012 (2.9). Shown on PBS, this documentary from Ken Burns and associates covers the 1989 case of the brutal assault and rape of a white female jogger in Central Park in NYC on a summer night when black teenagers engaged in random acts of violence there against various park patrons. Police quickly rounded up five young suspects and working closely with prosecutors employed questionable and probably illegal interrogation techniques resulting in inconsistent confessions in which each accused implicated the others. Investigators chose to ignore the many inconsistencies in their case and lack of corroborating physical evidence, especially the complete absence of any DNA from the five. With much media sensationalizing and grandstanding by politicians, the young men were brought to trial, refused to accept a plea bargain, maintained their innocence, but were convicted. They ultimately served from 7 to 13 years, until 2002, when they were exonerated after a serial rapist, who had continued his crimes into later years, admitted he was the perpetrator. The case is followed chronologically using archival footage, current interviews of the five men, their families and attorneys, media people, academics and the one juror who held out against conviction but finally gave in out of exhaustion. Police and prosecutors refused to participate in the movie and a civil action for wrongful prosecution has been pending for 10 years. This type of injustice has sadly been common enough to have been the subject of several similar movies, and this film does not break any new ground or suggest any way to minimize the problem going forward. The interviews with the five men (one of whom chose only to allow audio interview) talking about their emotions throughout the ordeal and how they now feel about what they have lost from their life are sincerely affecting. More exploration of the holdout juror’s experience would have been one example of a new angle.

Best Exotic Marigold Hotel – 2011 (2.9). An excellent cast of British seniors independently decide to travel to India for a prolonged sojourn at an old hotel which is being restored. They have their various reasons for embarking on the adventure and diverse reactions to what they encounter as they get to know each other and some of the Indians. A nice mix of light and heavier moments entertains and touches us, and though we never get to know any of the people in much depth, we do seem to have learned enough to understand how each came to be there and why they experienced it as they did.

Colors of the Mountain – 2010 (2.9). A simple story from Columbia, with apparently true villagers from a small mountain town playing the roles of people caught in the crossfire of guerillas and government paramilitary forces. The movie concentrates mostly on the children, primarily grade school boys and in particular one nine year old and his parents. The lack of political context seems appropriate to these simple people who just want to be left alone to live their basic lives, close to their animals, playmates, neighbors, one room school and playmates. It feels like a movie honestly made by one of their own.

Surviving Hitler – 2010 (2.9). This documentary benefits from a compelling story, an effective story teller, surviving home movies and efficient editing. The story is about a young Berlin woman who meets an attractive young man who is newly in military uniform and is shortly sent to the eastern front. They fall in love and correspond and the soldier returns to Berlin after being wounded. Disillusioned with Hitler, the couple becomes involved on the periphery of the plot to kill Hitler. The woman, now graciously elderly, narrates the story with audio supplementation from the man prior to his death. The young man was a home movie enthusiast and his surviving footage from the early years of their relationship gives a very personal touch to the presentation. Good merging of archival footage, the home movies and reenactments results in a movie of just over one hour, which manages to tell a large and interesting story.

Me and You and Everyone We Know – 2005 (2.9). Miranda July is a performance artist who wrote and directed this first feature, which has the same fresh appeal of someone performing on the sidewalk as you walk by and find yourself staying to take the whole thing in, not knowing if you fully understand what it is about but still appreciating it as genuinely entertaining and gently thought provoking. Good direction and editing are apparent in the cinematic details and the acting is authentic. A low key shoe salesman is newly separated from his wife and takes a modest apartment with an extra bedroom for his two young sons. A female performance artist is making ends meet by providing taxi service to the elderly. We follow them as their paths cross and we also watch some of their neighbors and others they know as they all seem to be looking for some connection they don’t quite understand. There is a desire for touching and being touched, but not just physically.

Argo – 2012 (2.8). The fact based story of this thriller about the secret rescue of six Americans from the Tehran embassy in 1979 is an interesting one, but gets a little too much of the Hollywood treatment in this movie. Casting name actors in minor roles (e.g. here, Alan Arkin and the omnipresent John Goodman) may help in pitching and marketing a film, but too often distracts from the sense of reality in a drama. The script is constantly on edge, with no time devoted to character familiarization, in contrast to the much better script for Flight. A more balanced drama with less Hollywood flash would have been a better fit for this truth based story.

Broken Trail – 2006 (2.8). Robert Duvall and Thomas Haden Church won acting Emmys for this western tale of an old cowhand and his nephew driving horses from Oregon to Wyoming in 1898, during which they acquired a small entourage including five young girls from China who had been on their way to forced prostitution in mining camps. The two-parter from AMC also won for best miniseries and direction, capturing the feel of the vanishing cowboy west and the beauty of the Rocky Mountain horse country (though it was actually filmed in Canada). Plot and drama are present, but the strengths are more in the ambience and developing relationships.

Holes in My Shoes – 2006 (2.8). A lifelong 94 year-old New Yorker is the subject of this documentary which follows the vigorous man around town as he tells his stories of growing up and working at numerous occupations. He is a bit of a Forrest Gump in that he has connections with many iconic parts of American history. His enthusiasm for life is enduring and engaging and on good display in this straightforward film.

In Which We Serve – 1942 (2.8). Made by Noel Coward early in WWII, integrating some actual war footage with the drama about a British Navy destroyer sunk by German dive bombers, this movie presented the image of the stiff upper lip resolution to fight on at a time when such encouragement was sorely needed. As some survivors cling to a life raft awaiting rescue, their stories are told in flashbacks of life on the home front and the grim realities of shipboard life fighting off attacks from sea and air. Though definitely dated and affected, nevertheless the film captures the resolute spirit of these sailors and their families.

The Bletchley Circle – 2012 (2.7). This three part drama from Britain brings together four smart women who worked as code breakers during WWII and are now reunited to work outside authorized channels trying to find the pattern of a brutal serial killer targeting women. Under the Secrecy Act, the women are sworn not to disclose the nature of the work they did, so their families and the police cannot be told that they know what they are talking about as they close in on their target. The interesting premise, excellent acting and fine production values are not fully matched by a script that tries to balance their personal lives, their detecting processes, frustration in dealing with the police and dangerous encounters with the culprit.

Safety Not Guaranteed – 2012 (2.7). Billed as a romance, comedy and sci-fi, this small indie is better typed as a bit quirky. A jerk Seattle Magazine writer talks himself into an assignment down at the Washington coast to check on a man there who placed an ad looking for a time travel partner. The writer really just wants a lark and a chance to look up an old flame who lives there, so he gets two interns to go along to do most of the work, one a deadpan young woman and the other a shy East Indian young man. The target is seriously eccentric and has a mutual attraction with the deadpan intern. The jerk meets up with the flame and then tutors the shy intern on women. All moves fairly swiftly in this short and somewhat amateurish movie and it holds attention to the end to see what will happen. For us local yokels, it is fun to check the Washington coastal scenery and locations to see what looks familiar.

Seeking Asian Female – 2012 (2.7). In this short documentary, shown on PBS as part of Independent Lens, a twice married 60 year old San Francisco Caucasian man uses the Internet to find a 30 year old Chinese bride. The Chinese-American filmmaker becomes central to the relationship of the couple as the bride to be comes from China and the film maker serves as interpreter and confidant and a bit of a counselor. We do get to see the problems the couple experiences, but the personal injection of the film maker into the story, though unintended, ultimately detracts from the movie. Perhaps separating the movie into two distinct documentaries, one about the couple and the other about the filmmaker making the movie and becoming involved with the couple, should have been considered.

Teddy Bear – 2012 (2.7). Presented by Film Movement, this Danish drama tells about a 38 year old very shy body builder who lives with his dominating mother. His uncle travels to Thailand and comes back with a young woman he marries and he encourages his nephew to do the same. We follow him on his visit and into the conflict his trip causes with his mother. Nothing deep here, but well enough done to be watchable, especially since I have one son still living in Thailand and another who now lives back here with his Thai wife.

Quill: The Life of a Guide Dog – 2004 (2.7). If you are a dog lover and are emotionally affected by dogs being parted from their owners and by dogs coming to the end of their lives, then be warned about this Japanese movie telling the story of a yellow lab puppy who gets trained as a guide dog for the blind and assigned to a man with a very brusque manner. This is not a “sweet dog wins grump over” story. Though a drama, in some ways it plays like a documentary. The dogs are all very appealing indeed, many of the people much less so. This would not seem to be an effective film for recruiting guide dogs.

Dark Victory – 1939 (2.6). Bette Davis had already won two Oscars when she starred in this loquacious melodrama about a young rich woman with a serious disease requiring brain surgery. She falls in love with her surgeon who shares her romantic feelings but not the truth about the seriousness of her disease. Definitely dated, but another opportunity to see Davis in her prime and decide whether she is your cup of tea. Two interesting contract players in minor roles were Bogart with a poor Irish brogue playing a horse trainer smitten with Davis, and Ronald Reagan as an effete playboy overly fond of booze.