ROBERT ALTMAN
Robert Altman died at 81, about six months after they finally gave him an Oscar (honorary, at that) after five fruitless Best Director nominations.
Like most great artists, Altman always went his own way, taking risks and being willing to fail. But when he scored he left deep marks on cinematic history.
M*A*S*H (1970) is uproariously funny, and is much darker than the TV sitcom it fathered. Elliott Gould, Sally Kellerman, Donald Sutherland, Tom Skerritt and Robert Duvall lead a fine cast composing a medical unit in Korea. The episodic screenplay by Ring Lardner, Jr., won the Oscar. In this landmark film, Altman pushed way beyond the edge of the envelope and changed comedy forever.
Altman’s brilliant snapshot of America in Nashville (1975) is unlike anything before or since. It’s a crazy quilt of seemingly unrelated incidents, with a great ensemble cast (Keith Carradine, Henry Gibson, Karen Black, Geraldine Chaplin, Lily Tomlin), which somehow coalesce into a picture of how we were and how we are. A combination political rally and country music show is the backdrop.
Actors pushed and shoved for the chance to be in an Altman film, regardless of their usual asking prices. Another fine cast (Carol Burnett, Paul Dooley, Mia Farrow, Lillian Gish) carries A Wedding (1978) well past the usual Hollywood treatment of the rite of marriage. Altman comes at weddings and families from new and untried angles and winds up with a film unlike any other on this familiar subject.
Hollywood itself is the subject, or target, of The Player (1992). Hollywood ethics, an oxymoron if there ever was one, are poked and pushed unmercifully in this very hard-edged comedy. Tim Robbins is the ultimate, and literal, back-stabber whose sole aim is his own advancement. There are dozens of cameos of well-known stars, which adds to the enjoyment.
Brewster McCloud (1970) is about a boy who lives in a bomb shelter under the Astrodome, and whose goal in life is to fly under the dome. There are a series of unsolved murders in the Houston area, and the evidence points toward the wannabe flyer. As the cops close in, the boy finally realizes his dream to fly. Bud Cort plays the boy, and is ably backed by Sally Kellerman and Shelly Duvall.
The Gingerbread Man (1997) with Kenneth Branagh, is a fairly standard good-lawyer-in-a-jam movie, and Cookie’s Fortune (1999) is a very accessible black comedy about the importance of propriety in a Southern family.
Some other Altman films worth a look include McCabe And Mrs. Miller (1971) with Warren Beatty and Julie Christie in the most unconventional of Westerns, Gosford Park (2001), Altman’s original take on a British manor whodunit, and Prairie Home Companion (2006) a fine tribute to the long-running NPR Garrison Keilor show.
All of the films in this column are available on DVD. None are suitable for children under 12.
Sunday, June 24, 2018
Sunday, June 10, 2018
ALCATRAZ
Today it is only a tourist attraction. But Alcatraz is still probably the most famous prison in the world. It is located on an island some one and a half cold, swirling miles from San Francisco. There was only one “successful” escape in its history. The escapees were never seen again and are presumed drowned. Hollywood used Alcatraz’s appeal to crank out lots of movies about it, including some really good ones.
Escape From Alcatraz (1979) features Clint Eastwood as the ring leader of the only escape ever made from the legendary San Francisco prison. The taciturn Eastwood is perfect for this role, and the planning and execution of the incredibly difficult escape make quite a good story.
The intriguing Birdman of Alcatraz (1962) features Burt Lancaster in a signature role as a lifer who puts his time to good use by learning enough about birds from reading and observation to become a world-renown expert in the field. Director John Frankenheimer’s ability to hold our interest in a film with basically one set and one character is remarkable.
In Point Blank (1967) Alcatraz is the setting for Lee Marvin being left for dead by his faithless wife and her mobster boyfriend. The movie is really about his revenge and is a real thriller.
Kevin Bacon is a 19-year-old kid who stole five dollars to feed his sister and winds up among the killers, rapists and bombers on Alcatraz in the riveting Murder In The First (1995). He is charged with murdering another inmate, and his ordeal puts the entire U.S. prison system on trial. Christian Slater is excellent as his lawyer. Assorted bad guys include Gary Oldman, Brad Dourif and R. Lee Ermey.
The Rock (1996) has a strong cast including Sean Connery, Nicholas Cage and Ed Harris. The screenplay is a bit of a stretch, though. A crazy general seizes Alcatraz and threatens to blow up San Francisco. Cage is a biologist, Connery a career criminal, and these two lead a foray onto the island to save the day. Will they? Hey, this is Hollywood!
If you’re really interested in the fabled island prison, there is also Alcatraz Prison Escape (2015) featuring a supposed (and really shaky) deathbed story of what really happened to the cons that swam away. The B-list includes Alcatraz Island (1937). Oh, and there’s even a fairly cheesy 2012 TV series named Alcatraz. All of the films in the article are available on DVD, though the last two are pretty hard to find. Everything herein is for 12 and up.
Today it is only a tourist attraction. But Alcatraz is still probably the most famous prison in the world. It is located on an island some one and a half cold, swirling miles from San Francisco. There was only one “successful” escape in its history. The escapees were never seen again and are presumed drowned. Hollywood used Alcatraz’s appeal to crank out lots of movies about it, including some really good ones.
Escape From Alcatraz (1979) features Clint Eastwood as the ring leader of the only escape ever made from the legendary San Francisco prison. The taciturn Eastwood is perfect for this role, and the planning and execution of the incredibly difficult escape make quite a good story.
The intriguing Birdman of Alcatraz (1962) features Burt Lancaster in a signature role as a lifer who puts his time to good use by learning enough about birds from reading and observation to become a world-renown expert in the field. Director John Frankenheimer’s ability to hold our interest in a film with basically one set and one character is remarkable.
In Point Blank (1967) Alcatraz is the setting for Lee Marvin being left for dead by his faithless wife and her mobster boyfriend. The movie is really about his revenge and is a real thriller.
Kevin Bacon is a 19-year-old kid who stole five dollars to feed his sister and winds up among the killers, rapists and bombers on Alcatraz in the riveting Murder In The First (1995). He is charged with murdering another inmate, and his ordeal puts the entire U.S. prison system on trial. Christian Slater is excellent as his lawyer. Assorted bad guys include Gary Oldman, Brad Dourif and R. Lee Ermey.
The Rock (1996) has a strong cast including Sean Connery, Nicholas Cage and Ed Harris. The screenplay is a bit of a stretch, though. A crazy general seizes Alcatraz and threatens to blow up San Francisco. Cage is a biologist, Connery a career criminal, and these two lead a foray onto the island to save the day. Will they? Hey, this is Hollywood!
If you’re really interested in the fabled island prison, there is also Alcatraz Prison Escape (2015) featuring a supposed (and really shaky) deathbed story of what really happened to the cons that swam away. The B-list includes Alcatraz Island (1937). Oh, and there’s even a fairly cheesy 2012 TV series named Alcatraz. All of the films in the article are available on DVD, though the last two are pretty hard to find. Everything herein is for 12 and up.
Sunday, June 3, 2018
DIFFERENT ANIMALS
There are hundreds of movies about dogs and horses and even cats. Let’s take a look at some of the best movies about not-so-familiar animals.
I’ll start with last year’s Jane, a fascinating documentary about Jane Goodall. A secretary with no education in zoology (and hence no preconceptions) is selected to photograph and study the wild chimpanzees of Gombe,Tanzania. She exceeds everyone’s expectations, including her own, as she gains more and more of the trust of the animals until she is accepted by them and virtually lives among them. This film, shot mostly in the 80's, was believed lost and was only rediscovered and made available in 2014.
A somewhat similar film, though not a documentary, is Gorillas In The Mist (1988). It features Sigourney Weaver as zoologist Dianne Fossey, whose study of mountain gorillas in the Congo and Rwanda probably saved the species from extinction. Bryan Brown plays her photographer and lover. Her discoveries about the gorillas dispelled many erroneous assumptions that had been made. But she really rubbed poachers and several government officials the wrong way, and was murdered under mysterious circumstances by persons unknown.
There are dozens of bear movies, and most of them are frankly pretty bad. Depending on your tolerance for craziness, Grizzly Man (2005) is a wonder. It is the story of Timothy Treadwell, who studied and lived with grizzly bears in the Alaskan wilderness. He and his girlfriend were killed and eaten by grizzlies, which to me seemed inevitable. The film he shot before his death was discovered later and made into this interesting documentary. No blood and gore in the film.
The Wild Parrots Of Telegraph Hill (2003) is the incredibly true story of a flock of cherry-headed parrots who presumably escaped (or were released) as pets, and live and thrive in the trees on Telegraph Hill in San Francisco. Mark Bittner is an unemployed musician who lives in a cabin atop the hill. He feeds and interacts with the parrots. While they look virtually identical to us, he can tell them apart. He has named them all and can tell each’s characteristics in this fascinating film.
Another utterly entrancing bird documentary, March Of The Penguins (2005), details the life of Anarctica’s Emperor Penguins. Every year those of breeding age leave the ocean and walk (waddle?) many miles to their ancestral breeding grounds. After chicks are born, the parents take turns caring for the baby and going for food. How the French cinematrogaphers got these scenes, and survived, is interesting in itself.
Big Miracle (2012) is a fictionalized version of the freeing of grey whales trapped under the ice near Point Barrow, Alaska. Drew Barrymore and John Kracinski are oceanographers who hatch a seemingly loony plan to get the trapped whales back to open water before the ice permanently freezes over. They gradually win over the natives who wind up helping the effort. Did it work? Well, if they had failed this wouldn’t be much of a movie, now would it?
All of the movies in this article are available on DVD. The last three are fine for all ages. The first three are for grown-ups.
There are hundreds of movies about dogs and horses and even cats. Let’s take a look at some of the best movies about not-so-familiar animals.
I’ll start with last year’s Jane, a fascinating documentary about Jane Goodall. A secretary with no education in zoology (and hence no preconceptions) is selected to photograph and study the wild chimpanzees of Gombe,Tanzania. She exceeds everyone’s expectations, including her own, as she gains more and more of the trust of the animals until she is accepted by them and virtually lives among them. This film, shot mostly in the 80's, was believed lost and was only rediscovered and made available in 2014.
A somewhat similar film, though not a documentary, is Gorillas In The Mist (1988). It features Sigourney Weaver as zoologist Dianne Fossey, whose study of mountain gorillas in the Congo and Rwanda probably saved the species from extinction. Bryan Brown plays her photographer and lover. Her discoveries about the gorillas dispelled many erroneous assumptions that had been made. But she really rubbed poachers and several government officials the wrong way, and was murdered under mysterious circumstances by persons unknown.
There are dozens of bear movies, and most of them are frankly pretty bad. Depending on your tolerance for craziness, Grizzly Man (2005) is a wonder. It is the story of Timothy Treadwell, who studied and lived with grizzly bears in the Alaskan wilderness. He and his girlfriend were killed and eaten by grizzlies, which to me seemed inevitable. The film he shot before his death was discovered later and made into this interesting documentary. No blood and gore in the film.
The Wild Parrots Of Telegraph Hill (2003) is the incredibly true story of a flock of cherry-headed parrots who presumably escaped (or were released) as pets, and live and thrive in the trees on Telegraph Hill in San Francisco. Mark Bittner is an unemployed musician who lives in a cabin atop the hill. He feeds and interacts with the parrots. While they look virtually identical to us, he can tell them apart. He has named them all and can tell each’s characteristics in this fascinating film.
Another utterly entrancing bird documentary, March Of The Penguins (2005), details the life of Anarctica’s Emperor Penguins. Every year those of breeding age leave the ocean and walk (waddle?) many miles to their ancestral breeding grounds. After chicks are born, the parents take turns caring for the baby and going for food. How the French cinematrogaphers got these scenes, and survived, is interesting in itself.
Big Miracle (2012) is a fictionalized version of the freeing of grey whales trapped under the ice near Point Barrow, Alaska. Drew Barrymore and John Kracinski are oceanographers who hatch a seemingly loony plan to get the trapped whales back to open water before the ice permanently freezes over. They gradually win over the natives who wind up helping the effort. Did it work? Well, if they had failed this wouldn’t be much of a movie, now would it?
All of the movies in this article are available on DVD. The last three are fine for all ages. The first three are for grown-ups.
Sunday, May 27, 2018
2017 SLEEPERS
Part 6
Are you up for a sixth helping of 2017 sleepers? Well, here they are anyway. There’s some gold in these hills!
I will admit to being absolutely smitten with Charles Dickens. The Man Who Invented Christmas is a fictionalized account of how he came to write A Christmas Carol. Almost everyone is at least familiar with the basic outline of the story. Each set-piece in the film shows how it could have happened that he wrote this scene. Little-known Dan Stevens is Dickens. Miserly, miserable Ebenezer Scrooge is brilliantly portrayed by the unmatchable Christopher Plummer.
Victoria And Abdul is about the unlikely but true story of how the queen became fast friends with an Indian servant. Surrounded by sycophants and ungrateful children (9 of them, waiting for her to die), the queen is really lonely. Enter a handsome Indian sent to England to present the monarch with a commemorative coin. Soon they are fast friends and he is teaching her Urdu and Hindi as well as cultural matters. Her court is outraged. Too bad, she’s still the queen! This movie is worth watching for Judi Dench’s performance alone, but it’s an interesting story of an interlude no one would have predicted.
A physician at a not-for-profit clinic in Belgium is ready to go home after a long, hard day when the buzzer from the street goes off. She considers, looks through the peephole and sees a young woman outside. Then she decides against opening the door and goes home. The next day she matches up the picture on the intercom with that of a murdered girl in the newspaper. Stricken with guilt, she wants to find out the identity of the girl and what happened to her. And that is the plot line of the very intriguing The Unknown Girl. The story takes twists and turns and keeps your interest to the end. The doctor is played by Adele Haenel, well-known in France but not here.
He was known for playing hangdog losers in a host of movie but Harry Dean Stanton’s crowning effort is displayed in last year’s Lucky. The movie begins with a long shot of Lucky’s surroundings- desert sand and cactus, and a tortoise named President Roosevelt. Lucky hits the bars and diners downtown and just sits and talks a lot. His face looks carved from stone through which lots of water has run, and he moves about like the tortoise. It is a bravura performance, admittedly not to all tastes. But it is one of stellar acting performances of the past few years.
I’ll end this with another outstanding performance, this one by an actor who started his movie life as a pretty-boy star. Richard Gere was born to play Norman. I don’t think anyone else could pull this off. He is a hustler, down on his luck, looking for the main chance. He is whoever he needs to be at any particular moment. He’s not exactly likeable, but he is complicated and somehow we relate to him.
All of the films in this article are available on DVD. The first two are fine for all audiences. The rest are for adults.
Part 6
Are you up for a sixth helping of 2017 sleepers? Well, here they are anyway. There’s some gold in these hills!
I will admit to being absolutely smitten with Charles Dickens. The Man Who Invented Christmas is a fictionalized account of how he came to write A Christmas Carol. Almost everyone is at least familiar with the basic outline of the story. Each set-piece in the film shows how it could have happened that he wrote this scene. Little-known Dan Stevens is Dickens. Miserly, miserable Ebenezer Scrooge is brilliantly portrayed by the unmatchable Christopher Plummer.
Victoria And Abdul is about the unlikely but true story of how the queen became fast friends with an Indian servant. Surrounded by sycophants and ungrateful children (9 of them, waiting for her to die), the queen is really lonely. Enter a handsome Indian sent to England to present the monarch with a commemorative coin. Soon they are fast friends and he is teaching her Urdu and Hindi as well as cultural matters. Her court is outraged. Too bad, she’s still the queen! This movie is worth watching for Judi Dench’s performance alone, but it’s an interesting story of an interlude no one would have predicted.
A physician at a not-for-profit clinic in Belgium is ready to go home after a long, hard day when the buzzer from the street goes off. She considers, looks through the peephole and sees a young woman outside. Then she decides against opening the door and goes home. The next day she matches up the picture on the intercom with that of a murdered girl in the newspaper. Stricken with guilt, she wants to find out the identity of the girl and what happened to her. And that is the plot line of the very intriguing The Unknown Girl. The story takes twists and turns and keeps your interest to the end. The doctor is played by Adele Haenel, well-known in France but not here.
He was known for playing hangdog losers in a host of movie but Harry Dean Stanton’s crowning effort is displayed in last year’s Lucky. The movie begins with a long shot of Lucky’s surroundings- desert sand and cactus, and a tortoise named President Roosevelt. Lucky hits the bars and diners downtown and just sits and talks a lot. His face looks carved from stone through which lots of water has run, and he moves about like the tortoise. It is a bravura performance, admittedly not to all tastes. But it is one of stellar acting performances of the past few years.
I’ll end this with another outstanding performance, this one by an actor who started his movie life as a pretty-boy star. Richard Gere was born to play Norman. I don’t think anyone else could pull this off. He is a hustler, down on his luck, looking for the main chance. He is whoever he needs to be at any particular moment. He’s not exactly likeable, but he is complicated and somehow we relate to him.
All of the films in this article are available on DVD. The first two are fine for all audiences. The rest are for adults.
Sunday, May 20, 2018
MICHAEL ANDERSON
Does the name Michael Anderson ring a bell? Well, it didn’t to me either, but then I looked him up and found a distinguished directing career including an Oscar nomination.
London born, Anderson later moved to Canada in the 1970's and lived there until he died recently at the age of 98. His early work was as an assistant director to Peter Ustinov, David Lean and Noel Coward.
He had made a few feature films, but really hit the big time with the outstanding British war drama The Dam Busters (1955). Based on true wartime events, the film brilliantly portrays the RAF’s destruction of several key Axis dams. The method used is both original and effective. The film started Richard Todd and Michael Redgrave, and was the most popular film in England in 1955.
Following that success, Anderson directed the first film version of George Orwell’s 1984 (1956). Many later versions garnered more attention, and Anderson’s was not well-received at the time of its release. But with Edmund O’Brien (as the famous Winston Smith), Jan Sterling and Michael Redgrave it is quite good. A decent argument could be made that this black-and-white film is the best of the litter about the iconic sci-fi novel.
Because of his earlier successes and his signature visual style, producer Mike Todd hired Michael Anderson to direct the huge hit Around The World In 80 Days (1956). The film won five Oscars, including Best Movie. It was nominated for three more, including Best Director. But Anderson lost the award to George Stevens for Giant. It is adapted from Jules Verne’s classic of the same name, and it starred Cantinflas (who?) and David Niven. The story involves a hot air balloon trip and is visually stunning for that time.
Operation Crossbow (1965) is at least a partly true story. The complicated plot involves the German effort to invent and manufacture the V-2 rocket, and the British attempt to stop them. There are lots of big names scattered through the film, including Sophia Loren, John Mills, Tom Courtenay and George Peppard. Michael Anderson successfully handles the large cast and elaborate plot.
An even better Anderson effort is The Quiller Memorandum (1966). George Segal plays an American agent sent to Berlin to find and infiltrate a neo-Nazi organization. The film also stars Alec Guiness, Max Von Sydow and Senta Berger. The somewhat complicated screenplay was penned by playwright Harold Pinter and it is a good one.
Michael York and Jenny Agutter are the featured actors in Logan’s Run (1976), which is Michael Anderson’s last good feature film. It takes place in 2774 in a world where everyone is eliminated on reaching the age of 30, because of the scarcity of sustaining materials. The main characters had been among those assigned termination duty, but decide to kick the traces and run away together. This film developed a cult following that is still around today.
Other Michael Anderson directorial efforts worth a look are Pope Joan (1972) and Conduct Unbecoming (1975).
All of the movies in this article are available on DVD, and all are just fine for 10 and up.
Does the name Michael Anderson ring a bell? Well, it didn’t to me either, but then I looked him up and found a distinguished directing career including an Oscar nomination.
London born, Anderson later moved to Canada in the 1970's and lived there until he died recently at the age of 98. His early work was as an assistant director to Peter Ustinov, David Lean and Noel Coward.
He had made a few feature films, but really hit the big time with the outstanding British war drama The Dam Busters (1955). Based on true wartime events, the film brilliantly portrays the RAF’s destruction of several key Axis dams. The method used is both original and effective. The film started Richard Todd and Michael Redgrave, and was the most popular film in England in 1955.
Following that success, Anderson directed the first film version of George Orwell’s 1984 (1956). Many later versions garnered more attention, and Anderson’s was not well-received at the time of its release. But with Edmund O’Brien (as the famous Winston Smith), Jan Sterling and Michael Redgrave it is quite good. A decent argument could be made that this black-and-white film is the best of the litter about the iconic sci-fi novel.
Because of his earlier successes and his signature visual style, producer Mike Todd hired Michael Anderson to direct the huge hit Around The World In 80 Days (1956). The film won five Oscars, including Best Movie. It was nominated for three more, including Best Director. But Anderson lost the award to George Stevens for Giant. It is adapted from Jules Verne’s classic of the same name, and it starred Cantinflas (who?) and David Niven. The story involves a hot air balloon trip and is visually stunning for that time.
Operation Crossbow (1965) is at least a partly true story. The complicated plot involves the German effort to invent and manufacture the V-2 rocket, and the British attempt to stop them. There are lots of big names scattered through the film, including Sophia Loren, John Mills, Tom Courtenay and George Peppard. Michael Anderson successfully handles the large cast and elaborate plot.
An even better Anderson effort is The Quiller Memorandum (1966). George Segal plays an American agent sent to Berlin to find and infiltrate a neo-Nazi organization. The film also stars Alec Guiness, Max Von Sydow and Senta Berger. The somewhat complicated screenplay was penned by playwright Harold Pinter and it is a good one.
Michael York and Jenny Agutter are the featured actors in Logan’s Run (1976), which is Michael Anderson’s last good feature film. It takes place in 2774 in a world where everyone is eliminated on reaching the age of 30, because of the scarcity of sustaining materials. The main characters had been among those assigned termination duty, but decide to kick the traces and run away together. This film developed a cult following that is still around today.
Other Michael Anderson directorial efforts worth a look are Pope Joan (1972) and Conduct Unbecoming (1975).
All of the movies in this article are available on DVD, and all are just fine for 10 and up.
Sunday, May 13, 2018
2017 SLEEPERS
Part 5
Logan Lucky has a fine ensemble cast and local color since it involves a heist from the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Channing Tatum and Adam Driver are the planners and operators of the very complicated robbery. It involves the use of the speedway’s vacuum tube system to channel receipts from the right place to the wrong one. There are lots of personal stories involved also, but the daring robbery is the main event. I know it is unlikely (okay, impossible) but just go with it and you’ll have fun.
Most of us around these parts don’t know very much about the talented and incredibly brave forest fire fighters in the western US. Only The Brave is based on a true story and a fascinating object lesson about these people. Josh Brolin plays Eric Marsh, head of the Prescott Fire and Rescue team. When the film starts, they are rated as a 2 squad, which means they are secondary to 1 squads, which are called Hotshots. They of course want to be Hotshots, and when their leader correctly calls a fire direction missed by a California Hotshot crew, they are on their way. They successfully fight several fires and their methods and efforts are very entertaining.
Professor Marston And The Wonder Women is the true (more or less) story of the life of Professor William Marston. This guy was all over the place breaking through convention. He invented a very workable lie detector. While conducting research with his wife and a young student, the three fall in love and decide to become a threesome. This is in the 1920's! He has children by both women and they live happily in a New York suburb, most people none the wiser as to what’s going on. Marston then invents the character of Wonder Woman (yep, that one) and though he has trouble selling the idea, it eventually catches on.
Molly’s Game is Jessica Chastain’s show wire to wire. It is based on Ms. Bloom’s autobiography. As the film begins, she is a world-class moguls skier, pushed unmercifully by her overbearing father. At the 2002 Olympic try-outs she suffers a career-ending injury. She moves to LA and as a cocktail waitress finds out about and serves at her boss’ high-stakes poker games. The players like her. She decides to stop being the middle man of the operation and starts her own game, which is highly successful. Things crash badly when she is arrested by the FBI. She is offered a plea deal in which she can name her players and walk. She refuses to do so and goes to trial.
Beatriz At Dinner gives diminutive Salma Hayek a chance to shine. She plays a massage therapist with her own business. When her car breaks down after a session with super rich Kathy, she is invited to stay for dinner. The other guests include Doug Strutt (aptly named and played to the hilt by John Lithgow). When Beatriz enters the room, Doug assumes she is a servant and acts accordingly. Even when he discovers otherwise, he continues to be the quintessential bigot. My daughter and I both loved everything about this film except the ending. What do you think?
All of the movies in this article are available on DVD. All are for adults.
Part 5
Logan Lucky has a fine ensemble cast and local color since it involves a heist from the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Channing Tatum and Adam Driver are the planners and operators of the very complicated robbery. It involves the use of the speedway’s vacuum tube system to channel receipts from the right place to the wrong one. There are lots of personal stories involved also, but the daring robbery is the main event. I know it is unlikely (okay, impossible) but just go with it and you’ll have fun.
Most of us around these parts don’t know very much about the talented and incredibly brave forest fire fighters in the western US. Only The Brave is based on a true story and a fascinating object lesson about these people. Josh Brolin plays Eric Marsh, head of the Prescott Fire and Rescue team. When the film starts, they are rated as a 2 squad, which means they are secondary to 1 squads, which are called Hotshots. They of course want to be Hotshots, and when their leader correctly calls a fire direction missed by a California Hotshot crew, they are on their way. They successfully fight several fires and their methods and efforts are very entertaining.
Professor Marston And The Wonder Women is the true (more or less) story of the life of Professor William Marston. This guy was all over the place breaking through convention. He invented a very workable lie detector. While conducting research with his wife and a young student, the three fall in love and decide to become a threesome. This is in the 1920's! He has children by both women and they live happily in a New York suburb, most people none the wiser as to what’s going on. Marston then invents the character of Wonder Woman (yep, that one) and though he has trouble selling the idea, it eventually catches on.
Molly’s Game is Jessica Chastain’s show wire to wire. It is based on Ms. Bloom’s autobiography. As the film begins, she is a world-class moguls skier, pushed unmercifully by her overbearing father. At the 2002 Olympic try-outs she suffers a career-ending injury. She moves to LA and as a cocktail waitress finds out about and serves at her boss’ high-stakes poker games. The players like her. She decides to stop being the middle man of the operation and starts her own game, which is highly successful. Things crash badly when she is arrested by the FBI. She is offered a plea deal in which she can name her players and walk. She refuses to do so and goes to trial.
Beatriz At Dinner gives diminutive Salma Hayek a chance to shine. She plays a massage therapist with her own business. When her car breaks down after a session with super rich Kathy, she is invited to stay for dinner. The other guests include Doug Strutt (aptly named and played to the hilt by John Lithgow). When Beatriz enters the room, Doug assumes she is a servant and acts accordingly. Even when he discovers otherwise, he continues to be the quintessential bigot. My daughter and I both loved everything about this film except the ending. What do you think?
All of the movies in this article are available on DVD. All are for adults.
Sunday, May 6, 2018
MILOS FORMAN
There has been quite a flood of great directors coming to America from other places. Ang Lee is from Taiwan, David Lean and Alfred Hitchcock were from the UK, Billy Wilder was from Austria, Frank Capra was from Sicily, Elia Kazan was from Turkey. High on any such list would be the name of Milos Forman, who hailed from Czechoslovakia.
Forman died recently at the good old age of 86, and his film resume is splendid.
The Loves Of A Blonde (1965) was his first effort, shot in his home country. It is the story of a young woman working in a shoe factory and dreaming of a great romance. Forman used a real shoe factory and amateur actors to achieve a gritty realism that impressed film fans and critics.
The Fireman’s Ball (1967) was also made in a small Czech town, using amateur actors (mostly firemen) to great effect. The plot, such as it is, involves a small town fire department planning a ball and a beauty contest to follow. The hijinks involved in the selection of candidates and in things that happen to call the firemen away are quite funny.
Both of the two films above are part of the Czech New Wave, quite a thing at the time. But then the Russians ended the growing liberalization of the Czechs by military invasion in 1968. Milos Forman fled the tanks and jackboots and came to America. His exile lasted until his recent death, but he found a welcoming film community and made great movies.
In his first at bat in the US, he hit it out of the park with the wonderful One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (1975). He won the Oscar for Best Director, and the film won four more Oscars: Best Picture, Best Actor (Jack Nicholson), Best Actress (Louise Fletcher) and Best Screenplay. The film is taken from Ken Kesey’s marvelous book about the inmates of a mental institution rebelling against the tyrannical Nurse Ratched (Ms. Fletcher). This is a very great movie!
Milos Forman’s next effort I would call a noble failure. He tried to bring the Hippy-Dippy musical Hair (1979) to the silver screen. A good effort, but just not a real good movie.
But then Forman scored again with his adaptation of E.L.Doctorow’s Ragtime (1981). Forman famously talked the legendary James Cagney to come out of retirement to play the fire chief. The film’s several story lines include immigrants, civil rights, the beginning of the movie industry, and women’s place. It went on to become a huge Broadway musical hit with a fabulous score.
In 1984, Milos Forman brought Peter Schaeffer’s hit play Amadeus to the silver screen, and it won a boatload of Oscars. Forman got another for Best Director, F. Murray Abraham won for Best Actor as Mozart’s insanely jealous nemesis Antonio Salieri. This fictionalized account of the boy genius’ career is loads of fun. The actor who played Mozart, Tom Hulce, was alas destined to be one of those “whatever happened to” people.
Forman got another Oscar nomination for The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996) but lost to Anthony Minghella for The English Patient.
All of the films in this article are available on DVD. All are for adults.
There has been quite a flood of great directors coming to America from other places. Ang Lee is from Taiwan, David Lean and Alfred Hitchcock were from the UK, Billy Wilder was from Austria, Frank Capra was from Sicily, Elia Kazan was from Turkey. High on any such list would be the name of Milos Forman, who hailed from Czechoslovakia.
Forman died recently at the good old age of 86, and his film resume is splendid.
The Loves Of A Blonde (1965) was his first effort, shot in his home country. It is the story of a young woman working in a shoe factory and dreaming of a great romance. Forman used a real shoe factory and amateur actors to achieve a gritty realism that impressed film fans and critics.
The Fireman’s Ball (1967) was also made in a small Czech town, using amateur actors (mostly firemen) to great effect. The plot, such as it is, involves a small town fire department planning a ball and a beauty contest to follow. The hijinks involved in the selection of candidates and in things that happen to call the firemen away are quite funny.
Both of the two films above are part of the Czech New Wave, quite a thing at the time. But then the Russians ended the growing liberalization of the Czechs by military invasion in 1968. Milos Forman fled the tanks and jackboots and came to America. His exile lasted until his recent death, but he found a welcoming film community and made great movies.
In his first at bat in the US, he hit it out of the park with the wonderful One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (1975). He won the Oscar for Best Director, and the film won four more Oscars: Best Picture, Best Actor (Jack Nicholson), Best Actress (Louise Fletcher) and Best Screenplay. The film is taken from Ken Kesey’s marvelous book about the inmates of a mental institution rebelling against the tyrannical Nurse Ratched (Ms. Fletcher). This is a very great movie!
Milos Forman’s next effort I would call a noble failure. He tried to bring the Hippy-Dippy musical Hair (1979) to the silver screen. A good effort, but just not a real good movie.
But then Forman scored again with his adaptation of E.L.Doctorow’s Ragtime (1981). Forman famously talked the legendary James Cagney to come out of retirement to play the fire chief. The film’s several story lines include immigrants, civil rights, the beginning of the movie industry, and women’s place. It went on to become a huge Broadway musical hit with a fabulous score.
In 1984, Milos Forman brought Peter Schaeffer’s hit play Amadeus to the silver screen, and it won a boatload of Oscars. Forman got another for Best Director, F. Murray Abraham won for Best Actor as Mozart’s insanely jealous nemesis Antonio Salieri. This fictionalized account of the boy genius’ career is loads of fun. The actor who played Mozart, Tom Hulce, was alas destined to be one of those “whatever happened to” people.
Forman got another Oscar nomination for The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996) but lost to Anthony Minghella for The English Patient.
All of the films in this article are available on DVD. All are for adults.
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