Unseemly Politics

Keeping track of our current nasty political times cuts into video viewing time, but it has motivated me to catch up with the last couple seasons of Veep, the nasty political spoof that unfortunately is becoming more real.

Veep (Season Five) – 2016 (3.1). Broadcast in the spring of 2016 before Trump secured the Republican nomination for President, the profanely irreverent fifth season of this comedy seems to be like fiction turning to sick reality. The personality clashes, dubious alliances and perpetual back stabbing that seem so far-fetched have now become reality. Maybe to some degree Presidential politics has always had these problems, but what this series presents is now being played out daily in the real White House. The series is supposed to wind up next year. Hopefully the Trump Presidency will end even sooner.

Merchants of Doubt – 2014 (3.0). This slick looking documentary from Robert Kenner does an impressive job of exposing the think tanks and spokespeople for the sleazy world of anti-government prostitutes and obstructionists, concentrating on climate change deniers.  The tactics that were developed by the tobacco industry have been transferred to the fossil fuel field without skipping a beat and with more vitriol as our political discourse has continued to deteriorate. Rational discussion is rebuffed by these people. Violent reaction is tempting, while a midway tactic seems elusive. The movie could have done a better job of guiding the audience to what to do.

The Durrells in Corfu(Season Two) – 2017 (3.0). The family becomes even more attached to their new home and all learn more about their surroundings, themselves and the other family members and friends. Mercifully, the cast is not burdened with an excess of new characters; there are just enough to add to the story of the family. For the audience, the cast and setting continue to endear and invite back for further stories.

The Eagle Huntress – 2016 (3.0). On the desolate but beautiful plains of Mongolia a thirteen year old girl wants to follow in the footsteps of her male ancestors and learn to hunt with a golden eagle. Village elders say women are not fit for the task, but the father of the girl knows she is a natural and works with her to develop her interest and skills. The process and results are shown in this documentary, scenic in its settings, respectful of the culture shown and uplifting in presenting the relationship of father and daughter and the ability of desire and work to accomplish a goal.

The Night of – 2016 (3.0). Based on a BBC series, this crime miniseries tells a compelling story of a NYC college student son of Pakistani immigrants who is charged as the murderer of a young woman supported by what they consider is overwhelming evidence of guilt. A courthouse trolling lawyer with serious skin problems initially gobbles up the defendant who is confined to the horrors of Rikers Island pending trial. We are kept guessing about guilt as the defense turns up other possible suspects, a dedicated cop keeps seeking more evidence against the student, other defense lawyers horn in and the defendant seems to adapt to his new environment. The characters are interesting and thetrial ends in such a way that the door is left open for a possible second season.

Poldark (SeasonThree) – 2017 (3.0). The saga progresses into the years of the French Revolution and corresponding political concern in England. Various characters come and go but the main ones remain with their ongoing problems. Ross Poldark struggles with many issues and loses a bit of his appeal, but the Villain George continues to repulse. By season end, Ross seems to be realizing he needs to become more politically active, which makes us primed for season four.

Veep (Season Four) – 2015 (2.9). After watching season three on DVD it seemed so discouragingly cynical about the American Presidency that I decided not to watch any further seasons. I rated it low but forgot to even write a note about it on this blog. After the series cleaned up for the sixth year at the Emmys, I decided to watch season four, which finished up just a week or two before Donald Trump came down the escalator to begin his ridiculous run for President. Trump must have watched the show and is using parts of it for his Presidency. Looks like I will need to watch the rest of the seasons to see how it turns out. Julia Louis-Dreyfus would likely be better at the job than Trump.

Almost Sunrise – 2016 (2.8). Two Milwaukee vets of US 21^st century wars struggle with PTSD and decide to hike 2700 miles from home to California for a mental break and to call attention to the issue of vets struggling with PTSD. This documentary follows the men and interviews their wives and family, friends and some counselors. A type of meditative practice seems most effective. From the counselors we learn about moral guilt men carry from fighting in these latest wars of dubious basis and purpose.

The Beatles: EightDays a Week – 2016 (2,8). Ron Howard mixed lots of performance and other archival film with old and new interviews to make this entertaining documentary about the years the Beatles toured. Nothing really new is learned but revisiting the songs is quite enjoyable for fans, which means just about everyone. The Special Edition DVD set has extended content including more early performance footage, discussion of their musical technique and a Japanese narrated segment covering the Beatles in Tokyo.

Dark Horse – 2015 (2.8). A Welsh mining village fallen on hard times is lifted a bit by a group of residents who form an alliance to breed and race a thoroughbred horse in this heartfelt documentary. The horse comes from unlikely prospects but a top notch trainer is surprised to see a bit of hope, so the horse is entered in a series of races and does fairly well with ups and downs and then starts to blossom. How high can he rise, will he remain healthy and what will happen to him if he does not are questions that keep us watching and cheerfully rooting for the horse and for the owners too.

Fats Domino and theBirth of Rock and Roll – 2016 (2.8). Archival performance footage, interviews with Fats and his colleagues and opinions from admirers comprise this tribute movie. There is only a minor amount of biopic, as it is almost all about the music. American Masters played it as an hour piece but the DVD has a director's cut of about an hour and a half.

Our Little Sister –  2016 (2.8). Dad is estranged from the three young adult daughters of his first marriage when he dies during his third. The daughters travel to his funeral where they meet the orphaned 15 year old half-sister from the second marriage. The oldest girl has assumed the mother role since the first wife has also been estranged from her daughters, so she and invites the half-sister to come live with the three sisters in the ancestral home. This Japanese movie is well acted and gently directed. The bits of humor are not contrived and the script, though not particularly dramatic, plays out naturally as the back story of the family and the feelings of the women start to be revealed.

Veep (Season Six)– 2017 (2.8). In a way it is like the so-called "previous investment trap", watching season six because of having watched the first five. With the disgusting Trump now actually in the White House, the Veep team coping with the big setback finale of last season might offer hope for the biggest of all Presidential setbacks for Trump and his team. The sixth season does not get us there yet, but sets up a seventh and supposedly final season. It would be great if next year was also the Trump finale.

Master of None(Season One) – 2016 (2.6). Comedian Aziz Ansari plays a struggling actor in NYC hanging with a diverse group of friends who like him are obsessed with sex and are barely mindful that people might want to have some deeper direction to their lives. There is a small amount of wit buried in the shallowness of the lives of the characters, but not much actual comedy to make one laugh, causing me to lauch my parachute hallway through.

Toni Erdmann – 2016 (2.6). A workaholic daughter is out of touch with her divorced father, so he goes to extremes to renew his touch with her and to encourage her to lighten up in this overlong German comedy drama, which is not that funny and not that dramatic. There is full frontal nudity of both sexes and nothing much in any of the characters to make one particularly care what happens to them.