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. Clicking on a movie title will open a new browser tab with the
IMDb page for the movie.
Downton Abbey
(Season Four) – 2013 (3.5). A major character is confirmed dead from last
year’s end, more new cast members and story lines are added, including a serious
affront to a loveable character. Shirley MacLaine reappears at year end with
her son Paul Giamatti. Season four ends with more upbeat notes than three did.
Island at War –
2004 (3.3). A miniseries about the impact of the start of WWII on the residents
of an independent English Channel island that does not actually exist seems
like a bad idea. Why make up a story about people in a pretend place when there
are so many true stories about real places? But with this expertly nuanced
production Britain’s Granada TV was able to create a place with its own
sovereignty and independence from Britain while at the same time its residents
have an expectation of British protection from the Germans who have just
occupied Western Europe. Without the impact of our preexisting knowledge of a
real location, the script allows us to focus instead on the way the War affects
the island people in their relationships and attitudes toward Britain, Germany,
their families, neighbors, friends and new contacts such as other islanders previously
unknown and German military personnel. With the expected excellent British
actors and production values, it does not take too long to accept the premise
about this island and to start to appreciate what the script has to say and how
it raises some interesting questions.
West of Memphis–
2012 (3.1). In 1994, three teenage boys in Arkansas were convicted in what was
charges were the satanic murders of three eight year old boys. Through the
years, the convictions of “The West Memphis Three” have become the subject of
widespread activist efforts to obtain new trials. This documentary joins a
trilogy of films by Joe Berlinger under variations of the title “Paradise Lost”
in telling the story of the defendants and the efforts to gain them a new
trial. Though the story of injustice based on inept profiling, sloppy police
work, incompetent forensics, overaggressive prosecution, inexperienced defense
counsel and feckless trial judge oversight is all too familiar, the unique
facts of this case and the well-funded and tireless work on behalf of the
defendants is covered in engaging depth through the compromised conclusion for
the defendants, while leaving the ultimate question intriguingly hanging.
A Bottle in the GazaSea – 2011 (3.1). Many languages are spoken in this independent film,
because the young principals are a Jewish female who has recently relocated
with her family from France to Tel Aviv and a Palestinian male living in Gaza
who is studying French and wants to travel to France to study there. The girl
has been traumatized by a nearby suicide bombing and has her brother who is an
Israeli soldier patrolling in Gaza throw a bottle in the sea. In the bottle she
has written a letter in English asking the finder to explain why Palestinians
use suicide attacks and she gives an e-mail address for response. This hokey
premise is quickly out of the way as a group of young men find the bottle and
joke about the stupid message. But the boy does respond and an e-mail
correspondence ensues. We see what is going on in the lives of both of these
people as they keep their contact secret from their families. Will they get
together or will the horror of war interfere? Nice pacing keeps the interest
level up and is rewarded with an effectively moving ending.
Page One: Inside theNew York Times – 2011 (2.9). At a time when print journalism is being
challenged by declining advertising revenue and competition from Internet based
reporting, this look inside the New York Times to see how that venerable paper
is coping makes for a quite interesting and fast moving documentary. Rather
than have journalists talk to the camera, we learn from seeing them talk to
each other at work, in social settings and in debates and seminars. The movie
does not give answers; it instead shows the struggle to keep the paper alive
and journalistic standards honored while recognizing that some changes must be
made.
The Taking of PelhamOne Two Three – 1974 (2.8). The hijack for ransom of a NYC subway train was
believable at the time this taut thriller was made and the tight script, actual
locations, crisp direction and fine acting hold up well as a movie about a
crime back then. The brash title music is annoying but thankfully not employed
elsewhere in the film. A remake in 2009 reportedly failed to match the quality
of the original.
Dirty Wars – 2013
(2.7). In this documentary an
investigative journalist follows stories about innocent civilians and
supporters of American troops being killed by Americans in covert operations in
Afghanistan and Somalia and an American citizen being targeted for
assassination by American drones in Yemen. He travels to these places and
interviews witnesses and he also interviews American officials and former
operatives, and he even presents his findings and questions to an American
Congressional Committee. The movie presents a dedicated journalist risking
danger to seek the truth, but it never follows up on the legal and ethical questions
involved in the type of operations being investigated, and it does not even
begin to explore the difference between using such an operation to kill Osama
and assassinating an American Imam in Yemen who posts Internet videos espousing
jihad against America.
Happy People: A Yearin the Taiga – 2010 (2.7). Primarily following some men who work as
trappers in the frozen north of Siberia, this documentary follows them through
all four seasons. They come from a village of about 300 people and the movie
shows a few touches of village life, but it is primarily about the life of the
men out in the wild with their dogs, showing them at their work and letting
them talk to the camera about their lives. The title is a little misleading, as
the men come across more as self-sufficient and not unhappy, rather than
outright happy.
Encounters at the Endof the World – 2007 (2.7). Werner Herzog travels to the scientific station
at McMurdo in the Antarctic to make this documentary not just about the wonders
of the continent itself, but more about people who travel there to do work and
research. There does not seem to be a plan to the film, rather it is approached
more as the tile suggests as an encounter.
Submarine – 2010
(2.6). The characters in this UK movie are presented as a little to quirky to
take seriously, but are not funny enough to make the film a comedy. A teenage
only child boy is concerned for the lifeless marriage of his parents while at
the same time wanting to find his own first love. Mom is checking back on an
old flame, as the boy spies on her. He finds a girl and they seem to hit it
off, but then he runs into a problem when she needs him in a more mature way.
The material is not as good as the acting and directing talent. For a low
budget film, there are some beguiling cinematic shots.
The Winds of War
– 1983 (2.6). Long enough to be a half
season, this ambitious miniseries based on the Herman Wouk novel about the lead
up to WWII boasts impressive production values using multiple European
locations. The story centers on a career naval gunnery officer, ably played by
Robert Mitchum, who has been assigned as an attaché to the diplomatic service
in the late 1930s. One reviewer aptly points out that the man is a bit like
Forest Gump, always present at important meetings of heads of state. The device
enables us to see these meetings from the inside American view. This elevated
status was inadvertently achieved because the officer wrote a report that went
against the grain of the higher ups and somehow came to the attention of FDR
who made the officer his unofficial intelligence agent with a direct line to
the White House. The actors portraying the heads of state are very good,
especially Ralph Bellamy who delivers a direct hit as FDR. Unfortunately the
uneven and poorly paced script by Wouk also covers the personal romantic lives
of the officer, his wife and three adult children, all played very
ineffectively. As a dramatized history lesson of the real winds of war through
the attack on Pearl Harbor the series was informative, but the family romances
are a major waste of time.
Happiness – 1998
(2.2). This black sometimes comedy is definitely perverse; in fact it is also
in several ways perverted. An early performance by Phillip Seymour Hoffman was
the impetus for checking it out and a scene of him in his sloppy apartment
drunkenly collapsing after making obscene phone calls is sadly prophetic of his
actual depressing death. There are some real aspects of empty and depressing
lives portrayed in this film but watching it can also be depressing and leave
an empty feeling. Movies should have something better to offer.
Carmen Jones
-1954 (2.2). On the plus side for this musical are the music of Bizet, the
screen presence of Harry Belafonte and Dorothy Dandridge, and Pearl Bailey
singing in her own voice. On the minus side are the forgettable book and lyrics
by Hammerstein and the singing voices of the leads being dubbed by other
vocalists, with the voice coming out of Belafonte’s mouth absolutely ludicrous.
The movies on this list streamed via Netflix were (though some of the streaming rights may now have expired):
Island at War
A Bottle in the Gaza SeaPage One: Inside the New York Times
Dirty Wars
Happy People: A Year in the Taiga
Encounters at the End of the World
Submarine
The Winds of War
Carmen Jones
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