BEAUTY PAGEANTS
Beauty pageants are ingrained into our national fabric, whether we like it or not. There are several excellent films using beauty contests as a backdrop, most of them with tongue firmly in cheek.
Smile (1975) is a hilarious spoof of the whole idea of beauty contests, presented here as a symbol for middle class emptiness. Bruce Dern and Barbara Feldon lead a good cast in a well-written film that is almost painfully funny at times.
Holly Hunter marvelously recreates her stage role in the charming Miss Firecracker (1989). Miss Hunter convinces us she is lonely and pitiful (that’s acting!) and she sees the local beauty pageant as a way to escape her drab existence. Gentler and sweeter than Smile, but also lots of fun.
Sandra Bullock plays a tomboy klutz who is somehow an FBI agent and who goes undercover as a beauty contestant in Miss Congeniality (2000). The cast is fine, especially Michael Caine, but the screenplay gives them very little to work with.
Happy, Texas (1999) is the site of a kiddie beauty contest, run by Jeremy Northam and Steve Zahn. They are actually escaped convicts trying to keep a low profile. But they have stolen the van of the contest operators and the townspeople expect them to put on a pageant. Very funny.
Abigail Breslin is the youngest member of a seriously dysfunctional family in Little Miss Sunshine (2006). The whole group is headed for California in an ancient VW bus so she can appear in a beauty contest for tots. Alan Arkin won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, and the screenplay also won. Hilarious and wildly inventive!
Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999) is one of those hidden gems Mr. Movie loves to find for you. Although the story is somewhat over the top, it has its charms. For one thing, it is Amy Adams’ first movie. For another, it has a great cast with Kirsten Dunst. Allison Janney, Kirstey Alley and Ellen Barkin. The small town of Mount Rose, Minnesota, is preparing for its annnual Sarah Rose Cosmetics Mount Rose American Teen Princess Pageant (whew). Amber Atkins (Ms. Dunst) aspires to be the next Diane Sawyer and sees the pageant as a good springboard. Strange things , including death, start happening to contestants and their backers. One contestant is killed when her cut-rate parade float blows up.
Actually, the best movie about beauty pageants isn’t about people at all, it’s about dogs. Best In Show (2000) is a laugh-out-loud send-up of big dog shows. Fred Willard is just incredibly funny as a dim sportscaster who knows absolutely nothing about dogs but does not let that stop him from incessantly blabbing stupid comments.
All of the movies in this column are available on DVD. All are suitable for children 10 and over.
ANNETTE BENING
Annette Bening turned 70 this year. And like a fine wine, she just keeps getting better.
She is currently appearing in the nice adaptation of Chekov’s The Seagull (2018) in the key role of Irina. Irina is an aging actress whose best days are over, but she gamely hangs on to her ebbing career. The movie, and play, take place at a summer cottage in Russia, owned by Irina’s brother. In this absorbing story, everyone wants something he or she can’t have. Brian Dennehy, Saoirse Ronan and Elizabeth Moss are additional parts of a fine cast. Since it is based on a stage play, it is a little talky, but director Michael Mayer has opened it up nicely. Bening’s performance alone is worth the price of admission.
In the strangely but aptly named Film Stars Don’t Die In Liverpool (2017) Annette Bening gets to go full out in a semi biography of Oscar winner Gloria Grahame’s last days with a much younger man.
Annette Bening owns Being Julia (2004) lock, stock and barrel, but that’s ok because she is absolutely super as an aging actress who still knows a trick or two. She seems always “on stage” to her college-aged son and her producer-husband (Jeremy Irons). She is roughly pushed aside by a director and young ingenue. Then she pushes back! What fun!
American Beauty (1999) won the Best Picture Oscar and Kevin Spacey also won for Best Actor. Annette Bening was nominated but lost to Angelina Jolie (for Girl, Interrupted). Ms. Bening’s portrayal of the wife and mother whose values have crumbled over time is stunning. I will not soon forget her interrupting a moment of tenderness with her husband to shriek, “That’s a $4,000 couch!” She is a microcosm of what it is too easy for us to become in this society.
Ms. Bening was also nominated for an Oscar for The Grifters (1990), losing out to Whoopi Goldberg for Ghost. In The Grifters she and Anjelica Huston are hustlers without a speck of morals who vie for John Cusak’s soul. None of these people have a shred of decency about them and will stop at nothing to get what they want. The movie has nice u-turns that fit the plot perfectly but keep us guessing.
A complete change of pace for Annette Bening is The American President (1995). She is a lovely lobbyist courted by storybook president Michael Douglas. He is a widower, she is unattached, this is pure Hollywood hokum (and enjoyment). The idea of a president of the United States getting back into dating is a funny concept and director Rob Reiner makes the most of it.
The unjustly ignored Richard III (1995) certainly belongs to Ian McKellen in the
title role. But Annette Bening is captivating as Queen Elizabeth, whose husband and
sons are murdered by Richard’s agents of evil. Daringly updated to the 1930's, and abounding in Nazi thugs, this is a splendid version of a very dark but captivating Shakespeare play.
Ms. Bening played opposite her husband Warren Beatty in Bugsy (1991). She is the love interest of the gangster with the foresight to realize Las Vegas can be a goldmine for the Mob and especially for him. The couple emit plenty of sparks.
All of the movies in this column are available on DVD. None are suitable for children under 14.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
