Making it through the Summer

With an old computer hooked up to the TV in the living room, Amazon Prime videos are now streaming. The last few library holds should be coming in soon and as fall arrives PBS should start some of their dramas for new seasons.

Instructions Not Included- 2013 (3.0). Eugenio Derbez plays an Acapulco man whose father scared the hell out of him trying to make him unafraid. He has an active sex life but then one day a woman shows up on his doorstep and leaves him with a baby girl he did not know he fathered. He tracks the woman to Los Angeles but then loses her trail as he gets work as a dangerous stunt man (English not required) and carves out a life as a dotingly loving father. He writes fake letters to the girl purportedly from the mother who is off on world saving adventures, which is why she cannot come see her daughter. One day when the girl is seven the mother reappears on the scene, just as the doctor has given the man terminal medical news. At this point we can pause to speculate where the script goes from here, but whn we play on we learn that we were a little bit right but not prepared for the actual ending and explanation of the message of the movie.

I, Daniel Blake – 2016 (2.9). For over fifty years Ken Loach has made British TV shows and movies, almost always with the feel of a documentary even if the story was actually a drama. The themes are invariably critical of the governmental status quo and advocating the need for progressive change. He won the Golden Palm for this story about an older widowed worker recovering from a heart attack and a struggling young single mother of two young kids. The meet at the government agency which is supposed to be helping them but which frustrates both of them by its bureaucratic incompetency and non-concern. There is a sort of father daughter relationship and the pain and frustration they feel comes across in the film.

Red Oaks (Season One) – 2014 (2.9). Humor, romance and drama are nicely blended in this series about college age kids working summers at a 1980's country club. The cast is filled out with some parents, older club workers and club members, the President of the club and his daughter and other romantic foils. The first season ends with people heading in lots of different directions and the audience wanting to watch more to see what develops.

Singing with Angry Bird– 2016 (2.9). A Korean opera singer decides to start a choir for children in a slum in India in this documentary. He is very intense in his style and the kids jokingly nickname him Angry Bird. But the kids thoroughly enjoy learning from him and singing the eclectic mix of songs he teaches them. The parents of the children are not sure what it is all about and when Angry Bird tries to explain it to them he soon realizes the best way to explain it to them is to get them involved in learning to sing and perform. The kids love the idea and it is uplifting to see the interaction of love between these parents and children who are so used to being considered of little or no value. The scene of the children in rehearsal sing to their mothers as they hold their hands is extremely moving. For some reason the version of the movie shown on PBS was cut down by about 30 minutes to fit an hour time slot.

Atlanta(Season One) – 2017 (2.8). Three charismatic young black men in Atlanta are trying to crack the local rap scene in this TV series. One gets some payola air play and creates a minor stir. One tries to be the manager while also working on his relationship with his daughter and her mother. The third just hangs around, philosophizes a bit and maintains a low profile. Some violence is expected, though it is taken more for granted than seriously. Marijuana is the norm and dealing provides a supplemental, though dangerous, income.

Ferdinand – 2017 (2.8). The classic story of the kind and loving bull comes warmly to the screen in this fun animated movie with humor and music and dancing and heart. The lack of industrial scale bombast and overly cute characters with famous celebrity voices is endearing, as is the fact that there will not be scads of rehashes and spin off merchandising.

The Insult – 2017 (2.8). In Beirut a verbal dispute between a Lebanese Christian man and a Palestinian worker leads to an aborted apology attempt, further insults and then a physical assault and ultimately a lawsuit that takes on a life of its own in this Arabic language drama. The men and their opposing attorneys (a father and daughter) represent political baggage and different viewpoints that have been smoldering for decades. On a larger scale, the movie is about “us versus them” thinking and the need for reconciliation.

Lindy Lou, Juror Number 2 – 2017 (2.8). After serving on a Mississippi jury that voted a death sentence to a young man for the stabbing murder of a woman, juror Lindy Lou struggled with issues of her own guilt for not listening to her heart and gut that were telling her not to kill him but to imprison him for life. In her struggles she visited the man in prison and became friends with him before he was executed. Over twenty years later she decided to find the other jurors and see if they shared any of her feelings. Her visits with the other jurors and her musings with her own family are the subject of this documentary which makes one wonder what it would be like to actually serve on such a jury. Though the case was in Mississippi and with an all white jury, the defendant was also white, so no issues of race were involved. Once again,for some reason the version of the movie shown on PBS was cut down by about 30 minutes to fit an hour time slot.

The Man in the High Castle (Season One) – 2015 (2.8). Based on the novel by Philip K. Dick, this series from the “what if” school of history takes place in a post WWII world where the axis powers have prevailed. The eastern US is Nazi occupied and the West is under Japanese control, with the Rocky Mountains a neutral zone. The Nazis have weapons supremacy, but Hitler is content to not try to overpower the Japanese. However, some top level Nazis want to strike Japanese forces and are willing to “remove” Hitler if need be. The Japanese are trying to hold on to the fragile detente, though some believe stealing Nazi weapon secrets is the only way to insure peaceful balance of power. The drama is told through following individual Nazis and Japanese officials as well as American members of the underground resistance. The first season was interesting enough to invite a look at the second.

Marshall– 2017 (2.8). This drama involving the great Thurgood Marshall centers on one legal case, but it is not the school desegregation victory in the US Supreme Court in the 1950s. This movie is about a case in 1941 in Connecticut in which a black chauffeur is accused of raping his white employer. Marshall is the sole attorney for the NAACP and is sent throughout the states to defend Negroes on trial. He usually needs permission from the local court to associate with a local attorney on the case. In Connecticut, he is matched with a reluctant Jewish attorney with no criminal law experience. The movie is a combination of a “did he do it” movie with an unusual mentoring of a Jewish attorney by a Negro one.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Season One) – 2017 (2.8). Amazon Prime produced this series about a college educated 1950s NYC housewife who dotes on her husband and tries to abet his desire to be a stand-up comic in spite of his lack of talent. After their marriage breaks apart over his affair, she stumbles into doing stand-up herself, and she does have talent. The relationships between Mrs. Maisel and her husband, her lesbian manager and the parents and inlaws all provide legitimate fodder for humor tinged with pathos. Unfortunately we once again have too many f-words in the dialogue, which is not the way I remember the 1950s.

Victoria & Abdul– 2017 (2.8). Sixty two years into her reign Queen Victoria was emotionally and physically exhausted and felt there was no one including her children who could inspire her. Then along came Abdul. A tall, dark and handsome young Indian clerk, he had been selected to present the Queen a ceremonial coin from India. He was excited to go to England and see the Queen, but was instructed to merely present the gift, not make eye contact and back away. But he could not resist the majesty of the Queen and she could not resist his adoration and charm. Based on a true story of a short term but deep relationship at the end of Victoria's life, the drama benefits from the consummate regal acting of Judi Dench and the on scren chmistry with her young Indian acting partner.

Cameraperson- 2016 (2.7). After shooting documentary footage for various directors over 25 years, Kirsten Johnson decides to make her own movie as a bit of a memoir and also as an explanation of her work style. Directors were various generous in allowing her to go through all the footage she made for them, and most of what she selected for her film is actually outtakes. The resulting movie is also self-help counseling for PTSD like symptoms experienced in covering so many dangerous stories around the world. Watching the editing special feature on the DVD before watching the movie will help better understand what is being shown and how it came to be put together in the final form.

Versus: The Life and Films of KenLoach – 2016 (2.7). This documentary uses extensive interviews with the British director and those who have worked with him through the years and with his family members, combined with clips from over fifty years of his work to tell the personal and professional story of this progressive activist.

War & Peace – 2015 (2.7). At over 1,000 pages, it is no wonder few people have actually read the Tolstoy novel. This BBC adaptation mini-series has the look and feel one would expect and actually makes it possible to follow the characters on their war of attrition through the Napoleonic wars, but the bottom line is that it is hard to care what happens to these aristocrats except for the evil Helene and her brother, for both of whom one cannot help but wish the worst.

The Workers Cup – 2017 (2.7). Migrant workers from Asia and Africa are being exploited as they work on building venues for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. This documentary follows some of them while they engage in what the government and contractors hope will be a morale booster – a World Cup style tournament between teams from the various contractors. The individuals followed are interesting but there is not much depth developed,. The filmmaker also purposely avoided getting into exposing and commenting on the economic and social issues to any depth.

Roman J. Israel, Esq. - 2017 (2.6). Denzel Washington nails the role of an Asperger's attorney lost in a 1970s time warp in this drama. Sadly the script for the movie is not up to his level. It fumbles around and goes in various directions before deciding to become a bit of a thriller.