Almost All from the Library

Except for one documentary watched on PBS (a 3.5) and one old timer streamed from Netfllix (a 1.5), the movies on this list were all obtained from the library. Some newer ones had been on my hold list, some others were found on the shelf and a few were chosen because the library only has one or two copies left. I guess it is time to start working on the Netflix queue, either trying what is already there or finding something more appealing; I have only streamed one old dog in the last month. The ratings spread on this list, from top to bottom, is about as wide as it gets.

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].

Boy A – 2007 (3.7). An excellent script, fine direction and good acting make this British movie a winner. A young boy who was sent to prison for his involvement in a violent crime is now a young man who has served his sentence and is being released under a program to give him a new identity, similar to what is done in the witness protection programs. But the protection here is from people who want to harm the offender in further retribution for the crime he committed. On his release he is mentored by a corrections official with a drinking problem and a broken family of his own, but who is very proud of the job he has done in turning the boy’s life around. As we follow the boy renting a room, getting a job and getting a girlfriend, it is hard to warm up to him because he is so quiet and awkward. But then we start to realize how everything he does on the outside is strange and new to him, because he was only a boy when he went to prison. Movies too often fail to tell the back story or have too many or too few subplots, but this one wisely leaves out mostly all the back story, except for periodic brief flashbacks to the developments leading up to the crime, and smartly excludes all subplots except the relevant involvement of the corrections official and his son. This film is about this young man trying to start a new life now, not about what he did in the past or why he did it. By the end of the movie we realize that this man is just who he is, but his past will always be part of him, the same as we are who we are and our past will always be part of us.

The House I Live In – 2012 (3.1). Voted best documentary at Sundance, this movie tells the story of the failed American “War on Drugs”, and the toll it takes not just on those incarcerated and their families, but also on society and our institutions as a whole. Interviews with prisoners, jailers, police, judges, and other involved officials, activists and academics are combined with documentary footage to establish the faulty foundation of the war, the financial incentives that keep it alive and the unfairness and injustice that are an inherent part of the system. More positive hope for successful change would have been nice to show, but the fact is there is not much out there. This film is another step in the right direction.

Flight – 2012 (3.0). Denzel Washington plays a top notch commercial pilot with a drug and alcohol problem in this riveting drama. Fate, or some would say God, catches up with him in the form of defective plane and only his extraordinary skill, though possibly impaired by his indulgences, has the chance to avoid death for all aboard. On a very personal level, the pilot struggles with his chronic denial of addiction in a way that is powerful without going over the top. Though a bit long, the script is tight, the direction very good and the acting of Denzel excellent as always. Speaking of over the top acting, I am getting tired of John Goodman popping up in so many minor roles as larger than life eccentrics.

In a Better World -2012 (3.0). Vengeance, retribution and forgiveness are the subjects of this Oscar winning Danish drama about a bullied adolescent son of separated parents and his new friend who is angry with his father over the recent cancer death of his mother. The father of the victim of the bullying is a volunteer doctor to refugees in Africa, where he sees firsthand the horrors of violence. The doctor father tries to show the boys that it is better to turn the other cheek and turn away rather than engage in retaliation which can escalate, but that lesson seems too sophisticated for them to accept. The story challenges our own feelings about seeking payback.

Playing for Change – 2005 (3.0). I pulled this off the library shelf to view again because I like to listen to the music played and sung by various groups in multiple countries around the world. The songs are about love and peace and the documentary technique involves having the musicians listen to recordings of music by other artists while they play along, which shows the connection across places and cultures and the universality of the themes. The movie is extensively composed of the musical numbers with a little explanation of how the project came to be and some scenes of the artists before and after recording. There are some special features on the DVD giving more information on the filming itself.

Viridiana – 1961 (3.0). Spanish leftist film maker Luis Bunuel directed this story of a young novice nun paying a visit to her benefactor uncle before taking her final vows. The woman does not really know her uncle, nor does she know his illegitimate son who enters the movie later on, but they both present obstacles to her vocation, as does her attempt to minister to the needs of the local beggars. Condemned at the time as sacrilegious and blasphemous, the film holds up quite well, having been shot in a straightforward way and covering simple themes of religion, morality, vocation and charity which still resonate. Though a bit of a surrealist, Bunuel does not indulge that style in this movie, though there are plenty of intriguing images. The Croterion DVD has some interesting documentary features about Bunuel, including an interview of him.

Incendies – 2010 (2.8). French-Canadian brother and sister twins learn after the death of their mother that they have a brother and that their father, whom they were told was dead, is in fact alive. Their mother left a death wish that they find their brother and father, which sends them off on a journey to an unnamed war ravaged country in the Middle East. Using flashbacks to interweave the back story of the mother is confusing at first, particularly because the daughter and the young mother of the flashbacks look alike, and the initially slow pacing and overall length of this Oscar nominated movie make one impatient. But as the nature of the mysteries becomes more apparent, interest in finding the answers increases. A tighter script would have made a better movie.

My Name is Khan – 2010 (2.8). Bollywood comes to California to make this drama about an Indian Muslin immigrant man with Asperger’s who falls for an Indian Hindu immigrant single mom in San Francisco. Hostility after 9/11 leads to complications setting the man on a journey around the country. Too long and uneven, with a story about love and also about prejudice and intolerance, the movie has its touching moments but also some hokey ones. Maybe it would have been better to make two films, one about the love story and one about the prejudice.

The White Ribbon – 2009 (2.8). Long, slow and in black and white, this German film was a Golden Palm winner, telling a story of mysterious criminal acts committed in a German village on the brink of WWI. Told years later by the school teacher who left for the war and never returned, the tale involves parents and children across the social spectrum in a time and place of rigid patriarchy. Filmed with great style, the movie seems to be a mystery inviting determination of who is guilty, but ultimately turns out to be more an invitation to ponder who we are inclined to suspect and why, and to realize that, contrary  to the lack of color on the screen, guilt is not always a matter of black and white.

The Crusades: Crescent & the Cross – 2005 (2.8). This History Channel documentary covers the three crusades by European Christians to take Jerusalem from Muslim control. Historical reenactments with CGI, interviews with scholars, contemporary narration and reenacted readings by historians of that time are the techniques used to tell the story of these wars in a straightforward chronological manner. The parallels to the conflicts in the middle east today are inescapable.

Diary of a Chambermaid – 1964 (2.8). This version of the Mirbeau novel was made by Luis Bunuel in his straightforward style, playing off the differences between the master and servant classes while at the same time showing how personal strengths and weaknesses know no class bounds. The plot, though playing like a mystery, is not intended to wrap the story up nicely, but is rather a vehicle for presenting the gray aspects of life.

Exporting Raymond – 2010 (2.7). When the creator of the sitcom “Everybody Loves Raymond” is invited to Russia to work with TV producers there to develop a Russian version of the show, he decides to make a documentary of his experience. The result includes brief glimpses of his parents, who were the inspiration for the parents of Raymond, and lots of time in a glum and, except for the colorful onion dome churches, bleak Moscow of rundown buildings, oppressive executives and overworked production people, Our hero struggles with the cultural differences that almost make the style of Raymond seem unworkable in Russia, and makes a few friends in the process.

Talk to Me – 2007 (2.6). Petey Greene was a DJ in prison who became very popular on local radio in Washington DC by profanely talking truth to the people in the late 1960s. This biopic starts out OK in showing him at the end of his prison time and through the rise of his career, but once the script gets to the point where his manager pushes him to go too far, the script falls apart as it rushes to the end. The high point is when Petey calms Washington after Dr. King was assassinated. A typically good performance by Don Cheadle overshadows the rest of the cast, the production has a fairly good look and the direction has some weak spots, but overall it is worth watching and listening to the period R & B music.

Diary of a Chambermaid – 1946 (1.5). After watching the 1964 Bunuel movie of this classic nove, I noticed Netflix had the 1946 Renoir version available for streaming, so I watched it for comparison, even though I knew it was not very good. In fact, it is a terrible bowdlerization of the story presented sometimes as a farce and sometimes as a ridiculous attempt at melodrama, the characters distorted to the point of meaningless drivel and all the elements of social commentary either omitted or trivialized. This Hollywood sound stage monstrosity is the worst movie Renoir ever directed. Burgess Meredith wrote the script, produced the movie and hammed up one of the roles, while his wife of the time, Paulette Goddard, [third marriage for both] played the lead. No wonder Meredith and Goddard soon divorced and tried the marriage game soon again.

Wreck-it Ralph – 2012 (DNF). My viewing partner who likes Disney animated movies better than I do bailed out of this one after about half an hour, and there was still more than an hour to go. I don’t understand who the target audience is for a $165 million movie like this, but Disney knows what they are doing financially, because this film will make them a profit. I fast forwarded through the rest of the movie confirming it would have been an ordeal for me to view it at normal speed. The little girl character had a cute personality.

More New Ones than Usual

Some of the library holds of newer movies are starting to show up now and I have also borrowed some DVDs of newer movies that are not in as much demand. So this list includes those plus some streamers from Netflix, a couple documentaries and the second and last season of an old BBC series. The topper on this list is one John from Phoenix recommended.

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].

50/50 – 2011 (3.0). Based on the true story of one of the producers, this independent drama with humor and heart tells the story of a 27 year old Seattle man who is suddenly diagnosed with spinal cancer with a 50% survival rate. As he starts the chemo, he is referred to a newbie therapist for help with the emotional impact, and we see how he and the people in his life (equivocal girlfriend, crude best friend, forceful mother, Alzheimer’s father and sincere but inexperienced therapist and some more experienced fellow patients) deal with the affect his disease has on him, them and their relationships. Well written, directed and acted, this movie makes an emotional impact without being maudlin. Once again, with only a few iconic Seattle shots, a movie set in Seattle is actually filmed in less expensive (for movie making) Vancouver, BC. In case you didn’t know, the very pretty girl who played the conflicted girlfriend is the daughter of Ron Howard.

Monica & David – 2010 (3.0). A short documentary about a thirty-something couple getting married and following them through their newlywed year is much more interesting when the lovers both have Down’s Syndrome. This film made by a cousin of the bride shows a very loving couple and two very committed mothers and an adoptive stepfather all making the necessary adjustments. This is a movie where you can truly feel the love and be touched by it.

Game of Thrones (Season Two) – 2012 (2.9). The story arc of the fighting to take over the throne of the mythical realm continues, though a bit slowly at first, with the primary characters becoming more familiar, even as some continue to be eliminated and new ones enter the scene. The production highlight of the season comes in episode nine in the form of a siege and battle at the dominant castle. The fantasy elements are ratcheted up, but otherwise the second season is much like the first. A third season is just beginning on HBO and one has to wonder whether the third should be able to conclude the story.

Poldark (Season Two) – 1977 (2.9). The second season of this BBC oldie starts with a mission to revolutionary France to rescue an English prisoner, demonstrating that action sequences are a definite weak point of this production. Character development, interpersonal turmoil and class conflict are what this series does best, and in this final season, the principal characters and a few added ones are brought to their dramatic finale with a satisfying final episode in which we hear appropriate philosophical dialogue from the main characters. [One wonders why the scruffy couple who serve the household of the hero seem to have worn the same nasty looking clothes throughout; wouldn’t someone have provided better clothing if only for the reputation of the houosehold?]

The Ides of March – 2011 (2.8). The hardball aspects of campaigning for the US Presidential nomination are the focus of this George Clooney directed drama in which he plays the “good” candidate. Campaign managers and workers, political opponents and opportunists, and journalists all have their own agendas, and even idealists are forced to decide if the end justifies the means. An interesting script which focuses more on the personal aspects than the policies, combined with decent direction and acting makes for a movie that should be watchable even by those who are not heavily political. In a special feature, the actress who played a young campaign worker said she was drawn to the part of a strong young woman, but I thought the character was more of a Monica Lewinsky type. [Coincidentally, I watched this on the day of the title].

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen – 2011 (2.8). Expecting a bit of a farce, it was a pleasant surprise to find an encouraging movie about faith in dreams and finding love. A decent script, though a little too pat at the end, good chemistry between the stars, Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt, and fine direction from Lasse Hallstrom make this very watchable.

Saint of 9/11 – 2006 (2.6). This documentary celebrates the Franciscan priest chaplain of the NYFD who died at the WTC during the response to the 9/11 attack. Details of his involvement on 9/11 and the circumstances of his death are not provided; instead numerous interviews with colleagues and persons touched by the personal charisma and ministry of the priest are shown, and we learn not only about his work as a priest reaching out to the most needy people of Manhattan, but also about the challenges he faced as a man. More time showing the priest and less time hearing about him from others would have made a better movie.

Following Sean -2005 (2.6). Going back 30 years later to see what became of the precocious free roaming four year old subject of an early documentary short about the son of free love hippie parents in Haight Ashbury sounded like a good idea for a film, but that is not what this movie delivered. Instead, the film is a hodgepodge about the father and the filmmaker and their respective parents, children and spouses, including Sean. It has the feel of reading multiple biographies and an autobiography with the pages scrambled. If not quite an indictment of the Haight lifestyle, it is certainly not an endorsement. Sean actually turned out pretty good, but in spite of the film title, we never followed his upbringing enough to know the particulars of why.

Beginners – 2011 (2.4). The semi-biographical drama from a writer/director seems to suffer from the creator being so close to his material that he lost sight of whether his final product would register with his audience anywhere near as much as it did with him. The characters ended up seeming like frustrated stereotypes, but we never got to understand them at any deeper level, perhaps because they did not figure that out themselves. The message supposedly is that it is never too late to begin again, but in order to do a better job the second time, we have to have a fairly good idea of why we failed the first. Considering the low budget, the movie does have a nice look though and it is sincere enough to be watchable.

Beasts of the Southern Wild – 2012 (2.2). A collective of young film makers settled for a time on the Louisiana coast to film this labor of love, featuring locals acting for the first time, including a six year old girl who was nominated for the best actress Oscar. Unfortunately the movie has no particular story, the fantasy elements don’t effectively register and the derelict characters, with the exception of the little girl, are a very unappealing mix of intoxicated eccentrics. All this apparently charmed the film makers, but the charm does not come across in their movie.

Juiced Up

This month via Netflix streaming I finished watching an old BBC series and viewed several movies with streaming rights about to expire. A couple documentaries on healthy eating advocated drinking home juiced vegetables and were effective enough to get us to incorporate green drinks into our daily regimen.

Some of the movies that were up for various Oscars this month have been added to my library hold list, but it may be a few months before they show up and get listed here.

One of my two or so readers [Hi Shirley] wondered how she could search for a review I might have written on a particular movie. The way to do it is to use the search box at the top left of the blog web page (the blank that has the magnifying glass). Put the title in quotes, then click on the magnifying glass and it should take you to a web page list which includes the movie review, and maybe also some pages where the movie is otherwise mentioned by name. As with any search box, if the title is also a generic phrase, you may get some hits where the phrase is used without it being a movie title.

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].  

Downton Abbey (Season Three) – 2012 (3.5). The classy BBC soap opera continues the earlier story lines and adds some new ones, maintaining its high quality, but perhaps with a feeling toward season’s end that too many big developments are happening too fast. A story line about economic troubles that threaten the Abbey adds an effective new dimension. Brash American mother-in-law Shirley MacLaine visits in the opening episode but thankfully does not return. 

The Wildest Dream – 2010 (2.9). This nicely paced documentary from National Geographic Entertainment integrates the story of mountaineer George Mallory, who died near the top of Mount Everest in 1924, with the story of the man who found his body 75 years later and then decided to try to figure out whether Mallory could have actually been the first man to reach the summit and then died on his way down. A new expedition is mounted to recreate the equipment from 1924 and see if the final assault could have been accomplished with that gear. The integration of close up filming of the modern quest with vintage footage of the 1924 expedition is very effective.

Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead – 2009 (2.9). This entertaining documentary first tells the story of very successful Australian entrepreneur whose dietary and lifestyle abuses resulted in him becoming extremely obese and caused or contributed to a malfunctioning of his auto immune system. He uses his own freshly juiced vegetable drinks while he conducts man in the street interviews with people about their food and weight issues, first for a month in NYC and then for another month traveling around the USA. The last half of the film shows how some of the people he met gave the juice regimen a try and what results they achieved. Limited use of talking heads, cutely relevant animation, a genuinely engaging Aussie and some appealing protégés make for an uplifting movie.

Hungry for Change – 2012 (2.8). There is plenty of good information from nutritional experts in this documentary about our overly processed food supply and the medical conditions we suffer from eating it. The most interesting interviews are with people who had medical conditions, particularly morbid obesity, and then achieved a healthy state by dietary and lifestyle changes. At times there seemed to be too many talking heads saying pretty much the same thing.

Jeff, Who Lives at Home – 2011 (2.8). This dramedy had a script that was different enough to hold audience attention as we followed one day two adult brothers who don’t get along and their widowed mother who wonders what is going to happen in the rest of her life and the lives of her sons. Pat, the oldest son, has a disintegrating marriage, while Jeff, the pot smoker, feels his destiny is calling, but he doesn’t know for what. Sincere with a brash gentleness, it ends with some effective emotion.

Poldark (Season One) – 1975 (2.8). This old BBC series has an interesting time and place, Cornwall after the American Revolution, but it is quite dated with low production values, soap opera theme music, theatrical acting and melodramatic scripts. That said, it does offer authentic scenery, quality performances and interesting characters struggling with societal issues that were part of the reason for the Revolution. There is a second season, dealing with the impact of the French Revolution.

J. Edgar – 2011 (2.4). The underlying reason for making this movie is not clear from watching it. The overlong script jumps around in time and attention between the growth of the FBI, Hoover’s personal life and his paranoid obsession that he had to be the savior of America by corruptly becoming the most powerful man in the country. Interweaving the stories of his intense relationship with his mother, his apparently frustrated homosexuality and his empire building at the Bureau was never effectively accomplished. The unrealistically dark low key lighting in the interior scenes may have been intended to create some feeling of time past, but was instead just annoying. If intended as a biopic, some scenes of Hoover’s early family life and schooling would have been helpful, and showing how a man trained in the law was driven to push law enforcement to use scientific methods would have been enlightening. To make a good drama about the abuses of power by Hoover, we should have been shown one or more adversaries and critics trying to rein him in or end his regime, rather than merely being given the one scene of a Senate hearing where he is embarrassed for his publicity seeking. Di Caprio did a good job playing a man with a rather flat personality. Tolson’s makeup in old age looked like a cheap mask.

Me and Orson Welles – 2008 (2.4). Full of Broadway theater name dropping from the late 1930s, this drama sports high production values and decent acting but suffers from a slow starting script that doesn’t have much to deliver when it finally starts to get going a little, right before the end. A way too old looking high school student (and no, making his classmates look as old as him does not solve the problem) easily gets a role in a new play adaptation of Julius Caesar that Orson is debuting on Broadway. Depression, what Depression? We know nothing about this kid other than his wide eyed ambition and at the end he has only learned what everyone was saying from the start – Orson is a pompous ass who sleeps with all the attractive women.

Nothing But the Truth – 2008 (2.4). Inspired by the Valerie Plame outing as a covert CIA agent, this drama tells of newspaperwoman who writes an agent outing story given her by a source and corroborated by two other sources, none of whom she will reveal to a special prosecutor, who refuses to take no for an answer. Though some serious questions are touched on in this movie, the script is muddled as to what the news story actually said and why it was newsworthy beyond just outing an agent. There were implications regarding a report the agent wrote and op-ed pieces her husband published criticizing the Presidential administration, but they were never developed in any way that made sense.

The Homecoming -1973 (2.2). I streamed this TV version of the Pinter play because the Netflix rights were about to expire, and honestly I snoozed through a lot of it. Some of it was absurdly funny. I know there is supposed to be meaningful symbolism and deep meaning behind this. But it is just not my cup of tea.

Ho Hum

As this short and uninspiring list shows, I have not been watching much to write about lately. Not going to movies in theaters, renting them from kiosks or getting them in the mail from Netflix does not leave many sources. Netflix streaming and DVDs from the library offer much to choose from and I have about 40 in the Flix queue and another 230 on a list to get from the library someday, but I have just not been inspired to sit down and watch. Because it has been over a month since the last list posting, this short one is offered. At least it will provide a new place for John to comment about what he has been seeing.

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].

Modern Family (Season Three) – 2011 (3.1). As regular viewers have learned to know the characters more intimately, it is fun to watch them encounter new problems with the vestiges of the old ones. The wise choices made in the second year to not distract with guest stars and to keep the concentration on the central characters and their interactions continues into the third year and the scripts always feel fresh and continue to be quite funny.

Come Back, Little Sheba – 1952 (3.0). Shirley Booth is one of the few actors who won the best actress Tony, Oscar and Emmy. She only made five movies, and Sheba was the first, for which she repeated her stage performance and won the Oscar, perfectly capturing the middle aged Lola character, both pathetic and sympathetic. The movie is by nature talkative, making the direction a bit static, but overall it does not feel claustrophobic and holds its age well. The opening music over the credits is annoying, but the movie itself is devoid of obnoxious music because of the prevalence of dialogue and the integration of radio music into the script. The changing times have made the mannerisms seem dated, which they are, but the problems they encountered are still here.

The Abolitionists – 2012 (2.8). From PBS American Experience, this three part documentary covers the abolitionist movement to end slavery in the United States. Using dramatic reenactments and interviews with historians, the focus is on the leaders of the movement, primarily William Lloyd Garrison and Frederick Douglass and the ultimate affect they had on President Lincoln after decades of dedicated work. It is hard to avoid the dreaded “What If?” historical inquiry as to how the slavery, Civil War and Lincoln might have turned out significantly different but for Garrison and Douglass.

Bernie – 2011 (2.8). Jack Black gives a fun Golden Globe nominated performance as a dedicated Texas funeral director who becomes involved with an ornery but wealthy widow in this droll drama based on a true story. The interspersed interviews with local residents reveal the knowledge writer and director Richard Linklater has of his native Texas. The ultimately unsettling involvement of the criminal justice system in the story seems to call out for a documentary detailing that aspect.

My Fake Fiancé – 2009 (2.8). This ABC TV romantic comedy was better than expected thanks to good chemistry between the leads (who are also in an ABC situation comedy series, Melissa and Joey) and a script that had some tersely satisfactory exposition of why these two people had missed the love boat to marriage and were desperate enough to concoct a phony engagement and schedule their marriage in order to get the gifts. An early developing subplot about a loan shark and his goons is a weak cartoonish story line but thankfully it is not too disruptive if you prefer to ignore it.

Big Love (Season One) – 2006 DNF. A couple episodes of the first season of this HBO drama series about a modern day Utah polygamist and his three wives and seven children failed to encourage me to keep watching, especially knowing it goes on for five seasons. I found the characters and their beliefs and problems unappealing.

Monty Python’s the Meaning of Life – 1983 DNF. This was funny in 1983, if it was your kind of humor and if you were in the right mood. Trying it 30 years later, possibly in the right mood and open to the type of humor, after the first couple of enumerated parts, it was not funny enough to keep watching.