The two month gap between list postings here is due to
watching full seasons of the top three shows and scraping around on Netflix
without much luck. Boyhood is the only mainstream theater movie in this pack.
Sometimes we go through periods of disinclination to watch.
The Newsroom
(Season Three) – 2014 (3.3). The biggest stories covered by the TV journalists
in this final year of the drama are the Boston Marathon bombing and a version
of the Snowden NSA whistle blowing. As the ratings start to slip, new financial
pressures are brought to bear which threaten journalistic integrity. Strains in
the love lives of the journalists all stem from their careers. How to survive
in a changing world of journalism and quasi- journalism is the overarching
question and the series creators felt so good about how they covered it this
third year that they decided to call it quits with an emotionally valid episode
of the passing of the torch. The decision deserves praise, because not every
series knows when it is time to call it a wrap.
Downton Abbey
(Season Five) - 2014 (3.2). Though the essentials are firmly in place, the
story lines around the cultural changes taking place in the 1920s are
compromised by two overdone subplots of no real bearing on the societal issues
of the time. The most egregious is the yearlong pursuit of a criminal matter
possibly involving the valet Bates and his wife the maid Anna. The other
involves the Maggie Smith character suddenly being confronted with an ill-fated
romance from long ago. There are many legitimate character transformations
taking place and some new romantic prospects appear in the season finale, but
it is beginning to feel like the time has come to wrap things up, which
reportedly what Julian Fellowes the series creator may have decided. It will be
sad to see the series end, perhaps after next season, but hopefully our cousins
across the pond will keep coming up with new quality shows.
Game of Thrones (Season
Four) – 2014 (2.9). It still remains hard to keep track of the full cast of
characters and various geographic locations, and this season adds more of both.
As we continue to spend time with the central characters, we see changes in
some and nuances in others, but there are also those who just stay the same.
This season feels more disjointed and the last two episodes are a bit of a
letdown, especially the next to last which is essentially just a one hour
battle. The special effects are exceptionally well done, but the development of
the plot lines and characters sometimes seems to suffer as a consequence. The
surreal fantasy elements also can sometimes distract from otherwise engaging
realism. Granted the series is based on an ongoing series of fantasy novels,
but the TV series has already departed from the books and one has to wonder if
there is a plan to bring the TV series to a conclusion even if the books
continue.
Little White Lie
- 2014 (2.9). The young woman who made this autobiographical documentary says a
family secret is something everyone knows but nobody talks about. Growing up
with her Jewish parents in the racially homogenous community of Woodstock, New
York, her darker skin and coarser hair were attributed to a Sicilian ancestor.
But when she started high school in a nearby town a more racially mixed student
body challenged her to ask deeper questions. The movie uses self-reflections,
old home movies, and interviews with her parents, friends and family to tell
the story of how she learned a very personal family secret. Somehow two very
flawed people raised a daughter who is better than they deserved.
They Call It Myanmar
– 2012 (2.8). As the country formerly known as Burma started a move to open up
from the repressive military junta of half a century, an American film maker
was able to travel around the land and intermingle with its ethnically diverse
population. The travelogue is narrated by the film maker and includes
interviews with Burmese commentators including Aung San Suu Kyi and some
historical footage. Cautious optimism is expressed for these warm Buddhist people
who suffer from great poverty and lack of social services. The young children
forced to work to support themselves and their families are unable to attend
school because of the cost and as the film maker interviews them through an
interpreter, our hearts are touched.
Thunder Soul - 2010
(2.8). In the 1970s the Kashmere High School Stage Band of Houston Texas
brought a superbly performed funk sound to band competitions and became a
winning sensation showcasing black pride in the early years of the new civil
rights era. The all black band was the brainchild of a fantastic teacher,
Conrad "Prof" Johnson, who not only wrote many of the numbers the
band performed and taught them the proper technique and showmanship, but also
taught them self-confidence, discipline and other virtues to carry through
life. Thirty five years later many of the former students return to the school
to perform a reunion concert in honor of their now aged mentor. This
documentary shows the love and respect the students hold for Prof and captures
the philosophy of the teacher using archival footage and extensive interviews.
It would have been nice to have more biographical information on Prof and to
learn more about the lives the students have led since graduating.
Boyhood – 2014
(2.6). It is an interesting concept to use the same young actor over a period
of years to make a drama movie about a boy coming of age through a succession
of step households. Throw in your daughter as his sister and a couple more
faithful actors as the biological parents to complete the subject family.
Unfortunately the resulting film is not as interesting as it should have been
because it was made by Richard Linklater who likes to use what he thinks is
natural sounding banal dialogue with some occasional words of interest. Fast
forwarding through the several musical numbers helps shorten the viewing time
from almost three hours. An actual documentary about the real young man
probably would have been more worthwhile.
The Search forMichael Rockefeller – 2011 (2.5). In 1961 Michael Rockefeller the son of
the NY Governor, disappeared while doing anthropological work in New Guinea and
he was never found. Did he drown at sea as most believe, or was he eaten by
cannibals as some speculated is the question raised in this documentary which
consists mostly of footage shot eight years later by an investigative reporter
who never made it public. This movie shows the non-release of the footage was
no great loss to the story and that there is little reason to continue the
dated speculation.
The movies on this list streamed via Netflix were (though
some of the streaming rights may now have expired):
They Call It Myanmar
Thunder Soul
The Search for Michael Rockefeller