This list is larger than usual, extending an extra month. Normally
the movies through year end would be added to my ratings lists and then the new
lists published here. Unfortunately, the host server for my lists has been down
for an extended period and may not return. I have tried to post the lists as
blogger pages, but they are in long Excel spreadsheets and do not convert well
in Blogger. I need to find a new server or a better way to convert them to
Blogger.
This Is Us (Season One) – 2016
(3.7). NBC came up with a winner when they approved this series about a couple
delivering a multiple birth in 1980. That starting point takes us to multiple
intertwining story lines both forward and back and even a bit sideways as we
get to know the characters in ever increasing depth. It is almost like the arc
was written out on index cards which were then cleverly rearranged out of sequence
to take us back and forth relevant to what we are learning at a given time about
the characters and about life cycles in general. The experience would be
familiar to a genealogist who develops the family history from expanding
research that is never completely linear. Individual characters ebb and flow in
our likability index as we learn more about them and how, in the words of a
favorite cliche, they play the hand they were dealt. Often a development in the
show makes the viewer realize that is something they never thought about in
their own life; for example, who was present and waiting at the time of your
birth.
Wadjda – 2012
(3.2). Saudi Arabia does not even have any movie theaters, but a Saudi woman
director managed to film this movie in that country, the first feature length
movie ever made there. The story is about a free spirited girl who wants a
bicycle and joins the religion club at her school in order to enter a Koran
knowledge contest to win the money to buy the bike. With help from Germans and
other Europeans, the script was perfected and the movie shot under restrictive
circumstances, including the director not being allowed to be present in public
for the filming (she had to direct some scenes by walkie-talkie from a nearby
van. The heroine is perfectly cast for the role and the movie offers a
knowledgeable peek inside everyday Saudi Arabia. The DVD special features about
making the film and an interview with the director are very good.
Little Big Lies –
2017 (3.1). The story from an Australian novel is transported to Monterrey
California and made into a miniseries giving several actresses a chance to
showcase their talent. A tale of female rivalries and friendships interwoven
with issues of stress and violence in family and personal relationships, the
plot also involves some whodunit aspects, with a few different twists. Smoothly
directed and well-acted by the women and also the children, with good support
from the men, the series was well enough received that it is being extended
into a second season, where it will face the challenge of extending original
material without deterioration.
Close-Up – 1990
(2.9). This Iranian movie is considered a classic because of its uniqueness. In
real life Iran, a sad and weak man with maybe some talent but certainly some
delusions that he could do impressive artistic work falls into an opportunity
to pose as a famous young movie director. The upper middle class family he
targets figures the ruse out quite soon and goes to the authorities. The man is
charged with fraud and the story makes the papers where it intrigues an older
movie director. This all really happened. The older director then decides to
make a movie reenactment of the story, using the actual people. The DVD
includes a follow up interview with the faker and some people who know him and
a couple interviews with the older director.
Gifted – 2017 (2.9).
This is a story of a first grade girl who is a super math whiz. She is being
raised by her uncle in Florida who wants her to live a more normal life instead
of the prodigy life that was forced on the similarly gifted mother of the girl.
But Grandpa has a different plan. Shot entirely on location (actually in
Georgia) with a small cast, the movie is emotionally effective, primarily
because of the winning performance by the young actress Mckenna Grace.
After the Storm –
2016 (2.8). A flash in the pan novelist working as a detective to make ends
meet is also a barely-show Dad. The man finally spends some time with his son
and pines for his ex-wife who now has a financially successful suitor. Widowed
grandma would like to see the whole family reunited. The sister of the flaky
dad is rightfully concerned about him taking advantage of grandma. Not a lot of
story is presented here, but the characters and interactions hold interest.
Call the Midwife Christmas Special 2017 – 2017 (2.8). Set during the deep freeze during
which 1962 changed to 1963, the various stories covered seem to lack any
connection other than the weather. An older grouchy police sergeant pops up in
the neighborhood and could become a foil for the oldest midwife.
I Am Another You
-2017 (2.8). A young female Chinese filmmaker studying in New York travels to
Florida and meets an interesting young American from Utah who is joyously
living the free life of a homeless person, so she decides to follow and film
him. All starts well enough, but then problems develop and she aborts the
project. Sometime later she decides to track him down and see how he is doing.
What she finds is a more complete story on the man and his family and the
mental health issues with which he and so many other homeless people contend.
The technique is mostly interviews and filmed interactions. There are no
experts or analysts.
Land of Mine
-2015 (2.8). During WWII the Germans heavily mined Danish beaches to thwart any
Allied invasion. After the war, German prisoners were forced by the Danish to
remove these mines. This gripping Danish drama centers on an abusive Danish
sergeant in charge of a detail of young Germans given this very dangerous task.
This movie is yet another reminder that wars do not actually end when we think
they are over.
The Salesman –
2016 (2.8). In this Iranian drama, a husband and wife both are appearing in a
stage production of Death of a Salesman when she is assaulted by an intruder in
their apartment. The incident causes strain in their relationship and the
husband embarks on a mission to find and punish the perpetrator, without having
a clear idea of what the punishment should be. Tying in with the stage play,
humiliation is a theme in the movie.
Unrest – 2017
(2.8). A newlywed Harvard doctoral candidate became ill with a mysterious
disease and she and her husband struggled to get it diagnosed. When they
finally learned it was chronic fatigue syndrome, she decided to make a
documentary about her efforts to cope with it. What could have been a
depressing movie for the audience is avoided by the realistically upbeat
attitude of the couple and by her finding other people around the world with
the same problem and incorporating their stories into the film. This effort
should help raise awareness of this very misunderstood disease which afflicts
twice as many people as MS.
The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin – 2017 (2.8). The San Francisco writer and his friends and
colleagues are interviewed and shown in archival footage to deliver an
enjoyable documentary about his life and his stories celebrating the humanity
of the individual without prejudgment based on race, gender or sexual preference.
Winter Sleep –
2014 (2.8). An actor and his divorced sister have inherited a historic hotel in
a secluded Middle Eastern village in this Turkish drama. The actor has a young
wife who is trying to be a community school activist. The actor has a long time
foreman and a long time tenant family seriously in arrears. Since it is winter,
only a few international guests pass through the hotel. Many conversations take
place between the various characters, revealing underlying tensions without any
apparent progress being made.
Shadow World-
2016 (2.7). Archival footage and interviews with various people familiar with
how arms dealers and defense contractors peddle their wares to governments are
the components of this documentary intended to shine a light on the shadowy
arms trading. But the movie jumps around to different parts of the story in
different places and times and never gives any hopeful possibilities for
reigning in this dangerous beast.
Sully – 2016
(2.7). The Story of the "Miracle on the Hudson" emergency landing of
a commercial jetliner on the river is told through the vehicle of following the
inquiry into the accident and interleaving it with flashbacks of the lead up to
and actual time of the crash, all focused on the celebrated pilot. At first,
his decision to ditch on the river rather than head back to the airport is
questioned by computer simulations, but the pilot challenges the accuracy of
the sims. This is a formulaic but entertaining celebration of the value of
sill, temperament and experience.
I Am Not Your Negro
– 2016 (2.6). At the time of his death James Baldwin left the beginnings of a
novel he was writing about the deaths of Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin
Luther King. This documentary attempts to envision the completed book, but it
never seems to come together. Lots of archival footage is shown of Baldwin and
the three men who were killed, tied together with footage from old movies
intended to make some points which at times are obvious for the stereotyping of
black characters and at other times are just not clear as to why they were
included. There is a fair amount of Baldwin giving talks and dialoguing and
debating on interview shows at an intellectual level that can be hard to
digest. The final talk by Baldwin makes the point that white America created
"the Negro" so it is really the problem of white America to figure
out how that creation has failed and to correct it.
Steve Jobs – 2015
(2.6). Eschewing the cradle to grave biopic approach, this script uses the
backstage before three Apple product reveals for dialogue intensive reveals of
back story and relationship frictions. Jobs is so unlikable and two of the
three Apple products featured were flops. This movie comes close to being a
match to the person and those products.
Where Do We Go Now?
– 2011 (2.6). Lebanon barely has a film industry, so this movie by a female
Lebanese director is a rarity. Her goal was to make a statement about the
stupidity of wars between people who foolishly allow themselves to be divided
into rival groups. Set in a small village in a generic Middle Eastern country,
the villagers are composed of Christians and Muslims who all get along fine –
until trouble between the groups in other part of the country breaks out into
fighting. Soon, the village is caught up in the same nonsense and the women
decide they must do something to stop it. The concept is good, the amateur
acting is authentic enough and the locations are excellent, but the script is
problematic. The characters are not adequately developed or nuanced, musical
numbers are inserted at odd times, occasional attempts at humor are
inconsistent and there is little if any dramatic arc.
