2015 SLEEPERS
Part 1
This begins a series of articles where I mention movies from last year that didn’t get a lot of attention but I think are worth a look.
The Wrecking Crew is one of the most fascinating documentaries I have ever seen. It is about a group of musicians who play back-up for some of the most famous acts. Almost no one has ever heard of them- except the singers they play behind. In the music business, they are legendary. They have backed up The Beach Boys, Bob Dylan, the Mamas and the Papas, Frank Sinatra, Sonny & Cher, and others. They are absolutely the go-to, call them first, back-up group.
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is so real and wonderful it will wring your heart out. It features three first-time actors who are just super. Olivia Cooke is Rachel, the title girl. She is rather reluctantly befriended by Greg (Thomas Mann) and later by his friend Earl (R.J. Cyler). Their interaction is completely believable and so very touching. There is hardly an ounce of sentiment in this film, which could have been a smarmy tear-jerker but certainly is not. I love this movie.
When Marcie Was There is the latest, and perhaps last (?) entry from Japan’s greatly revered Ghibli studio. Although it does not have the touch of the legendary Hayao Miyazaki (Kiki’s Delivery Service, Spirited Away, etc), it has the signature drawing of each frame. Even if the story weren’t good, which it is, the animation alone is worth a look. It is just so gorgeous it will take your breath away. And it is a good story: A lonely orphaned girl discovers her identity in a very unusual way. It is ethereal and altogether wonderful. As usual with productions from this studio, you could hang each frame on your wall and be glad you did.
Only hours after I wrote the above paragraph, Ghibli released 1991's Only Yesterday, never before seen in America. Something to really look forward to!
Malala Yousafzai spoke out for women’s rights in her home country of Pakistan. The Taliban responded by shooting her in the head. She survived and became a spokesperson for the rights of women in extremely restrictive Muslim societies. He Named Me Malala is the story of her attack, recovery and undaunted will to advance the cause of her gender against great odds. You cannot help but like and admire this courageous young woman, and her story is quite a good one. Her father named her after a legendary Afghan woman who fought for the rights of women, and she proves to be worth of her name.
Wild Tales is a Spanish film that more than lives up to its title. The movie is a series of vignettes about crazy coincidences. They do not seem to me to be related, and some are better than others. The best shows a group of passengers on an airliner who gradually discover they have all done bad things to one man- who turns out to be the pilot of the plane! All the others are nearly as good. What fun!
All of the films in this article are available on DVD and for streaming. Really all but the last one are ok for general audiences. That one is for adults.
Sunday, February 28, 2016
Sunday, February 21, 2016
LAUREN BACALL
Lauren Bacall left the screen and stage at 89. She was nominated once for an Academy Award for the dreadful The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996). She was quite good in it, but deservedly lost to Juliette Binoche for The English Patient. She won one of those “lifetime achievement” deals (known in sports as a “make-up call”) in 2010. To see her good movies, you have to go back to the 40's and 50's, and with today’s technology, you can!
To Have and Have Not (1944) was her first movie, and it co-starred future husband Humphrey Bogart. With a screenplay by William Faulkner, this story of a reluctant gun-runner and his hot babe still smokes. When she looks back at Bogie and says “You know how to whistle, don’t you, Steve? You just put your lips together and blow,” her career was duly launched. Bogie and Baby started a torrid affair three weeks into the film and a year later they were married. They remained together until his death in 1957.
Mr. Bogart and Ms. Bacall are on hand again for Raymond Chandler’s The Big Sleep (1946). I know, I know, the story has holes you could drive a Hummer through- but who cares? You can’t stop watching this pair of legends.
Key Largo (1948) has Bacall and Bogart, plus Edward G. Robinson (“Yeah,See!”) and Oscar winning Claire Trevor. It’s the character-driven story of a bunch of innocents being held hostage by a gangster (Robinson, of course) during a hurricane. Really good!
Mr. Bogart is nowhere to be found in Young Man With A Horn (1950). This time it’s Kirk Douglas as a compulsive trumpet player and Doris Day as his goody-goody girlfriend. Ah, but Ms. Bacall steals the film as the bad girl!
In both Woman’s World (1954) and Designing Woman (1957) Lauren Bacall is way ahead of the times as a tough career woman with a voice that can melt steel (and guys).
That’s about it, though there are many more films. But Ms. Bacall then went on to Broadway, where she had even more success. She won several Tonys, including her wonderful role as Margo Channing in Applause (based on the movie All About Eve, but with Bette Davis, not Ms. Bacall). In that show and many others, she used that deep contralto voice to great effect, and she could sing up a storm!
All of the movies in this article are available on DVD and for streaming. All are suitable for all ages, factoring in the boredom quotient for littlies.
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Lauren Bacall left the screen and stage at 89. She was nominated once for an Academy Award for the dreadful The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996). She was quite good in it, but deservedly lost to Juliette Binoche for The English Patient. She won one of those “lifetime achievement” deals (known in sports as a “make-up call”) in 2010. To see her good movies, you have to go back to the 40's and 50's, and with today’s technology, you can!
To Have and Have Not (1944) was her first movie, and it co-starred future husband Humphrey Bogart. With a screenplay by William Faulkner, this story of a reluctant gun-runner and his hot babe still smokes. When she looks back at Bogie and says “You know how to whistle, don’t you, Steve? You just put your lips together and blow,” her career was duly launched. Bogie and Baby started a torrid affair three weeks into the film and a year later they were married. They remained together until his death in 1957.
Mr. Bogart and Ms. Bacall are on hand again for Raymond Chandler’s The Big Sleep (1946). I know, I know, the story has holes you could drive a Hummer through- but who cares? You can’t stop watching this pair of legends.
Key Largo (1948) has Bacall and Bogart, plus Edward G. Robinson (“Yeah,See!”) and Oscar winning Claire Trevor. It’s the character-driven story of a bunch of innocents being held hostage by a gangster (Robinson, of course) during a hurricane. Really good!
Mr. Bogart is nowhere to be found in Young Man With A Horn (1950). This time it’s Kirk Douglas as a compulsive trumpet player and Doris Day as his goody-goody girlfriend. Ah, but Ms. Bacall steals the film as the bad girl!
In both Woman’s World (1954) and Designing Woman (1957) Lauren Bacall is way ahead of the times as a tough career woman with a voice that can melt steel (and guys).
That’s about it, though there are many more films. But Ms. Bacall then went on to Broadway, where she had even more success. She won several Tonys, including her wonderful role as Margo Channing in Applause (based on the movie All About Eve, but with Bette Davis, not Ms. Bacall). In that show and many others, she used that deep contralto voice to great effect, and she could sing up a storm!
All of the movies in this article are available on DVD and for streaming. All are suitable for all ages, factoring in the boredom quotient for littlies.
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Sunday, February 14, 2016
SAVE THE VILLAGE
There’s a little village somewhere in the UK. In order to save it, or part of it, the villagers must do something slightly illegal, immoral or both. The Brits have wedged at least six fun movies into this little niche.
Waking Ned Devine (1998) heads the list. Villager Ned Devine has died in his humble little cottage. Clutched in his cold, dead hand is a winning lottery ticket. The winner must be alive and present the ticket in person. The villagers contrive to make this happen, and when the lottery man comes to check up, the hi-jinks go on and on. A hoot from start to finish.
When the steel mill in the Sheffield area shuts down, the men in the village have little to do and nothing to look forward to. So they decide to become male strippers and put on a show for money. Lots better than this summary sounds, The Full Monty (1997) was a huge hit and later a successful Broadway musical.
The distaff side of the same plot fuels Calendar Girls (2003) when the village women decide to raise money by selling pin-up calendars, with themselves as the girls. With the redoubtable Helen Mirren and Julie Walters, this one can’t miss and is fun all the way.
The local shoe factory has always turned out handmade, high quality shoes. Now everyone wants cheap and the factory and its workers are on the edge of going under. The new manager decides there is a market for Kinky Boots (2005) and indeed, there is! This one also went on to be a hit Broadway musical.
The little village’s one claim to fame is being the location of the highest mountain in Wales. When the British government measures and declares it isn’t high enough to be a mountain, it is only a hill, the villagers take matters into their own hands. With Hugh Grant at his aw-shucks best, The Englishman Who Went Up A Hill, But Came Down A Mountain (1995) is a winner.
During wartime, a ship loaded with Scotch whiskey runs aground off the Tight Little Island (1949) and the villagers strive to keep it a secret from the occupying Germans and assorted baddies.
In Saving Grace (2000) it isn’t the village to be saved, but one impoverished widow with a green thumb. The wonderful Brenda Blethyn is the widow and her talent is raising marijuana, which is of course worth quite a lot of Euros.
All of the movies in this article are available on DVD and for streaming. All are fine for 10 and up.
There’s a little village somewhere in the UK. In order to save it, or part of it, the villagers must do something slightly illegal, immoral or both. The Brits have wedged at least six fun movies into this little niche.
Waking Ned Devine (1998) heads the list. Villager Ned Devine has died in his humble little cottage. Clutched in his cold, dead hand is a winning lottery ticket. The winner must be alive and present the ticket in person. The villagers contrive to make this happen, and when the lottery man comes to check up, the hi-jinks go on and on. A hoot from start to finish.
When the steel mill in the Sheffield area shuts down, the men in the village have little to do and nothing to look forward to. So they decide to become male strippers and put on a show for money. Lots better than this summary sounds, The Full Monty (1997) was a huge hit and later a successful Broadway musical.
The distaff side of the same plot fuels Calendar Girls (2003) when the village women decide to raise money by selling pin-up calendars, with themselves as the girls. With the redoubtable Helen Mirren and Julie Walters, this one can’t miss and is fun all the way.
The local shoe factory has always turned out handmade, high quality shoes. Now everyone wants cheap and the factory and its workers are on the edge of going under. The new manager decides there is a market for Kinky Boots (2005) and indeed, there is! This one also went on to be a hit Broadway musical.
The little village’s one claim to fame is being the location of the highest mountain in Wales. When the British government measures and declares it isn’t high enough to be a mountain, it is only a hill, the villagers take matters into their own hands. With Hugh Grant at his aw-shucks best, The Englishman Who Went Up A Hill, But Came Down A Mountain (1995) is a winner.
During wartime, a ship loaded with Scotch whiskey runs aground off the Tight Little Island (1949) and the villagers strive to keep it a secret from the occupying Germans and assorted baddies.
In Saving Grace (2000) it isn’t the village to be saved, but one impoverished widow with a green thumb. The wonderful Brenda Blethyn is the widow and her talent is raising marijuana, which is of course worth quite a lot of Euros.
All of the movies in this article are available on DVD and for streaming. All are fine for 10 and up.
Saturday, February 6, 2016
CRIMEDIES
What do you call a crime movie that’s also funny? How about “crimedies”? There are several entries in this somewhat off-beat category.
I think one of the very best is Prizzi’s Honor (1985). Jack Nicholson has a fine old time as a slow-witted hitman from a very curious, and notorious, family He is in over his head when he courts Kathleen Turner, who has talents of her own. Angelica Huston won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, as the Mafia Mom from Hell. Her father, John, directed. The screenplay, from a Richard Condon novel, is superb.
Get Shorty (1995), is based on one of Elmore Leonard’s quirky novels. John Travolta is a minor-league mob enforcer who comes to Los Angeles on “business.” His life-long desire to produce a movie is seized upon by Sleazy Hollywood Guy Gene Hackman. Danny De Vito, Rene Russo, Delroy Lindo and James Gandolfini appear as various low-lifes and movie wannabes. The plot is convoluted but very funny.
In The Whole Nine Yards (2000), Bruce Willis moves into the quiet suburban neighborhood of dentist Matthew Perry. Learning Willis is actually a Mafia hit-man, Perry decides he can get big bucks by telling the right people where the hit-man is hiding out. Bad idea! Amanda Peet and Rosanna Arquette add to the scenery and the merriment.
Michelle Pfeiffer’s hitman husband dies and she tries to get away from his Mafia connections in Married To The Mob (1988). Then it turns out that the local crime boss, deftly played out-of-character by Dean Stockwell, is much enamored with Ms. Pfeiffer. A stellar cast includes Matthew Modine, Alec Baldwin, Joan Cusak and Mercedes Ruehl.
Alec Guiness is a drab, anonymous bank clerk with a crazy scheme for robbing an armored car in The Lavender Hill Mob (1951). The thugs he recruits to pull this off are somewhat lacking in expertise, but not in humor. The excellent screenplay won the Oscar for T.E.B. Clarke. Audrey Hepburn’s very short screen debut occurs in the first scene. Don’t blink or you’ll miss her.
Tough guy Edward G. Robinson shows his comedy talents in the delightful Larceny, Inc. (1942). He and his chums decide to run a luggage store because it is next door to a bank they want to break into. But the business somehow prospers and that gets in the way of their nefarious plans. Jack Carson, Jane Wyman, Anthony Quinn, and especially Broderick Crawford are included in a fine cast.
All of the films in this article are available on DVD and for streaming. All are fine for 12 and up.
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