Friday, February 10, 2017

"Passengers" and The Week in Reviews

[I review the new movie "Passengers" as well as the DVDs "Holy Hell" and "Don't Breathe."  The Book of the Week is songwriter Carole Bayer Sayer's memoir "They're Playing Our Song."   I also bring you up-to-date with "My 1001 Movies I Must See Before I Die Project" with "Gertrud"]



Passengers



Jim Preston (Chris Pratt) is one of 5000 passengers in suspended animation on a space ship heading to a new planet over 100 years away to colonize it.  When Jim wakes up, he finds himself the only one awake -- 90 years too early!

***Warning: This review contains what might be considered a spoiler, so if you are one of those people who goes berserk when someone reveals a twist then read no further.  However, the "twist" isn't even really a twist, and you will see it very early in the film and there are still other plot twists to come, so, in my opinion, this isn't really a spoiler.  But like I said, if you like to go into your movies not knowing anything, better not read this because I certainly don't want you going ballistic and blaming me for ruining this film for you.
There, I have done my due diligence.***

Jim Preston is a mechanic hoping to start a new life on another planet.  He and 4,999 other passengers and a crew of over 200 are aboard the Avalon in suspended animation hoping to do the same thing.  Their new planet, Homestead II, is over 100 years away from Earth so not only will these passengers be starting a new life, they will be starting it in a new century.

En route, the ship is hit by a meteor and there are some mysterious malfunctions.  One of those malfunctions affects Jim directly.  It wakes him up and, though initially, everything seems cool - he is greeted by an animated flight attendant, shown the amenities of the ship and led to his cabin - he soon realizes that he is the only one awake.  Well, there is Arthur (Michael Sheen), but he is a robot/bartender. 

Jim does everything he can to try to find out how to save himself and put himself back to sleep.  However, once it has sunk in that he is indeed alone and, since the Avalon won't arrive at its destination for another 90 years, he is likely doomed to die of old age aboard the space ship, Jim accepts his fate, upgrades himself to the best suite, plays basketball, has dance contests with holograms and hangs out with Arthur, getting as drunk as he can.   But after a year has passed, all of that gets old, Jim is lonely, suicidal and a bit nuts and basically lets himself go. He starts looking like Tom Hanks in "Cast Away."  

Then he sees Aurora Lane (Jennifer Lawrence) sleeping in her pod.  He reads her profile and watches her application video about why she wanted to travel to the new planet.  He reads her books and sits next to her pod, talking to her.  Slowly he starts to fall in love with her.  Now he has a moral dilemma.  Should he wake her up so he has a companion, knowing that he is also dooming her to his fate?

He tries to resist, but, well, you know the answer to that or it wouldn't be a movie starring Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence, now would it?  However, what will happen when she finds out he woke her up on purpose thus giving her a death sentence?

This film was hyped as a space movie with a love story, but if you are expecting that, you will be disappointed.  It's actually a love story that just happens to take place in space.  It's your typical boy-meets-girl, boy-loses-girl, boy-tries-to-get-girl-back story, except it's in a space ship.

But this is still an enjoyable movie, at least the first half is engrossing, and there is also some humor when Jim settles into his solitary routine and finds out just what his ticket entitles him to (let's just say that he is not a "gold star" passenger) and the repartee between him and Aurora is just plain good old rom com. The second half falls down a bit, though, as Jim and Aurora realize they must save the spaceship, when it REALLY starts to malfunction. Much has been made about the ending ruining this film.  I didn't get that.  It was about what I expected.

This is basically a two-hander and the weight of the film falls on Pratt and Lawrence. For most of the film, it's just Pratt and Lawrence as they get to know each other and eventually have sex and fall in love.  Though I like both of these actors, I have to say that I found the chemistry between them a bit tepid despite a scene where they have spontaneous sex on a table.  The sex could have been hotter.  If there is going to be sex in a movie, I want it to be hot! But that's just me...

Sheen does a good job as a robot bartender and adds a bit of humor while constantly polishing glasses and acting as de facto counselor as most good bartenders do.  Larry Fishburne shows up unexpectedly, and except for his adding a tiny bit of plotline, doesn't have much face time or much to do.

Directed by Morten Tyldum with a script by John Spaihts, this felt like a space age "Titanic," but without Celine Dion singing "My Heart Will Go on (you might find that a good thing)! The cinematography by Rodrigo Prieto is outstanding as are the special effects and the set decoration.  It's a beautiful film to look at.

Rosy the Reviewer says...it's not "Titanic," but it's an interesting love story starring two of our most popular actors.


 

***Some Movies You Might Have Missed***
(And Some You Will Be Glad You Did)!






Holy Hell (2016)



A documentary about a little known West Hollywood religious cult.

Will Allen, the director and "star" of this documentary, shares his experience as a young man when he was trying to understand his existence and the mystery of the universe.  So what do you do when you are raised Catholic and are questioning life?- why you join a cult, of course!

In 1985, Will was a young film student and he was also gay.  When he came out to his parents, his mother kicked him out of the house.  Will's sister had already joined a cult called "The Buddhafield," a group of people who were looking for "something more" run by the charismatic and mysterious, Michel, who liked to sport Speedos and Ray-Bans, so Will decided to join her.  Michel used your basic Eastern tenets of living in the now and no judgment to guide his followers.  When Will joined, he was made the filmmaker for the group, recording everything for posterity, so he had a birds-eye-view of the goings on.

Everything was going swimmingly - literally, naked pool parties and the like - but in year four, things started to get dark...as these things usually do when the leader gets that old taste of power and realizes he can manipulate his followers any way he wants. No sex was allowed among members, they couldn't read books, watch TV or listen to the radio.

Michel came up with something called "The Knowing Session," a way to find enlightenment.  Gee, I wonder what that could be....Oh, maybe something to do with....SEX?!  As time went by, despite some misgivings by some of the members, a sort of mass hysteria ensued as everyone fell into line with the more and more bizarre practices and demands of Michel.  It became one of those things where no one wants to say that the emperor is not wearing any clothes.

By 2001 people started to question (it took them this long?) and wanted to leave, but when they did, they were demonized, another common practice among groups like this.  Michel told those who wanted to leave that if they left, something bad would happen to them.  And then in 2006, it came to light that Michel had been having sex with all of the young men all along, despite the fact he acted like he was asexual and didn't want anyone else having sex.

Duh...

I couldn't help but yell at the screen, as I am wont to do upon occasion while watching DVDs at home - "WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH YOU PEOPLE???"

I grew up in the 60's and 70's and could have fallen for this kind of thing, though I was such a pragmatist and accused of being judgmental when I actually wanted to do something besides lie in the dark grooving on the latest Led Zeppelin album.  I wasn't very popular with the granola-eating, soul searching types.  Hey, I was in my twenties.  I thought I already knew everything.

As the public became aware of stories like "Heaven's Gate," "cult awareness" brought pressure on Michel and his followers, so he moved the group from L.A. to Austin.  There he decided everyone would build a theatre and learn ballet and put on a show -- a show they worked on for a year and then only performed for each other.

Turns out Michel was once a dancer with the Oakland Ballet.  Did he start out to become a cult leader?  The film doesn't really go there, but I don't think people do.  Did Jim Jones start out to become a cult leader who would eventually urge his followers to kill themselves?  Did David Koresh?  Did Marshall Applewhite?  It's hard to say but in all of those cases, it seems that megalomania set in, and this story is no exception. 

AND THEN...horrors.  Michel hadn't just been a ballet dancer.  Michel had been a PORN ACTOR.  Turns out his real name was Jaime Gomez and he was a wannabe actor who had a bit part in "Rosemary's Baby," until turning to porn.

Then everything really went to hell...holy hell!  The group fell apart and Michel disappeared, but Will eventually tracked him down in Hawaii where he had started ANOTHER CULT, now calling himself Ryji which means God King.  Will is able to confront Michel, who appears to be unrepentant.

During the course of the film, ex-members share why they were drawn in and at the end of the film, there is a montage of those who stayed, those who left and what happened to them.

This is about as close as we will ever get to watching a cult grow and how it all happens.  These were smart, good-looking young people whose search for "something more" led them to a charlatan.  A cautionary tale to be sure.

Rosy the Reviewer says...if you ever shake your head and wonder, how could someone join a cult?  Watch this film.




Don't Breathe (2016)



If you are a petty crook looking for a quick buck and think that breaking into the house of an old blind guy (Stephen Lang) and robbing him is a good idea...DON'T!

Some young people - Rocky (Jane Levy), Alex (Dylan Minnette) and Money (Daniel Zovatto) - think they can break into an old guy's house and rob him.  They want to do one last gig and then get the hell out of the wasteland that is Detroit.  Rocky wants to do it to get money to move to California and Alex loves Rocky.  Money just seems to want to do bad things. They know the old guy is an ex-army vet (that should be a clue right there - "Don't go in there, girl!), and he has gotten a settlement for his disability so they are certain he must have money in the house. 

The old guy may live in inner city Detroit but he lives in a neighborhood where no one else is around.  You know that old saying, "If a tree falls in a forest and there is no one around to hear it, does it make a sound?"  Well the saying for this film might be, "If an old blind guy lives in a house with no one else around, and you break into his house, will anyone hear you scream?"  He may be blind, but once he knows they are in his house and what they are up to, he goes on a rampage and the rest of the film is about those three kids trying to get OUT of the house, with a scary twist.  Don't all horror films have a twist?  How do you hide from a blind man?  You don't breathe!

Directed by Fede Alvarez, this is very much a "B" horror film starring unknown actors. The characters are not particularly fleshed out so it's questionable about whether you care what happens to them, but maybe that's the point.  Who are the bad guys here?  But it was a surprise box office hit and certainly will get your blood going and take your breath away!

Rosy the Reviewer says...moral of the story? Never underestimate us old folks!



 
***My 1001 Movies I Must See Before I Die Project***


215 to go!

Have YOU seen this classic film?




Gertrud (1964)


Gertrud (Nina Pens Rode) is a bored Danish housewife who decides to ease her boredom with a lover.

Gertrud, once a promising opera singer gave up her career and is now a bored housewife married to Gustav (Bendt Rothe), a boring lawyer.

The film begins with Gertrud and her husband, Gustav, talking in their drawing room.  The subject of one of Gertrud's old lovers comes up and Gertrud dramatically says, "I'm thinking of all the poor human beings who allow themselves to love..."  She says this looking off just barely into the camera.  In fact Gertrud has this habit of doing that, making some proclamation about love while looking longingly off into space.  In fact all of the characters do it.  They all talk about passion and love and betrayal but never once speak passionately or even look at each other. 

When her husband tries to kiss her, Gertrud pulls away and Gustav says..."I seek your lips and you give me your cheek."  You get the idea. When she complains that her husband works too much and loves his work more than her and says, "I don't want to be an occasional plaything," we know what that means, right?

So after a long drawn out scene, Gertrud eventually tells Gustav that she wants to leave him and that she is in love with another man.  There are actually three men in Gertrud's life: her husband, a young poet and a musician.  They all love her but because none of them is willing to put her before everything else in their lives, she rejects them all and eventually is alone, but still extolling the virtues of having loved.

Adapted from a 1906 play by Swedish playwright Hjalmar Soderberg, this was director Carl Dreyer's last film after a 40 year career in filmmaking, and it is famous as a two hour film that consists of only 90 shots and few set changes.

However, I found it to be very two-dimensional, almost like a cartoon, very staged and passionless for a story about passion.  Even when two people were talking to each other, they both didn't look at each other but instead addressed the camera.  So because of that, it is very difficult to judge the acting because obviously the director wanted it that way.  There is a certain poetry to the dialogue, but I'm sorry to say I was as bored as all of these characters seems to be.

Why it's a Must See:  "At its premiere in Paris, Gertrud was received with uncomprehending hostility by press and public alike.  Since then, it has come to be recognized as the last lapidary statement of one of the most individual of filmmakers -- a film, like its heroine, to be approached on its own terms."
---"1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die"

Rosy the Reviewer says...I agree with the press and the public.  After seeing this, I felt a little hostile.
(b & w, In Danish with English subtitles)





***Book of the Week***




They're Playing Our Song: A Memoir by Carole Bayer Sager (2016)



I am sure you know the songs "Nobody Does it Better," "I'd Rather Leave While I'm in Love" and "That's What Friends Are For," but you might not know who wrote the lyrics for those songs.  Well, it was Carole Bayer Sager, who not only wrote those songs, but hundreds more.  This is her story.

Sager, who I will refer to from time to time as CBS, shares her growing up years where she suffered with crippling, irrational fears about everything from imagined illnesses to flying, and it didn't help that she had an overbearing, overcritical and insensitive mother who passed on her own irrational fears to Carole. She admits in the book that her fears and desire to feel safe lead her to the wrong men.

While still in high school, Carole started writing songs with her girlfriend, Sherry, and they were signed by a publishing company to write songs, but though they worked together for three years, none of their songs were recorded.  However, when Sherry got married and gave up her collaboration with Carole, Carole signed with another company and collaborated with another composer, Toni Wine, which led to Carole's first recorded song, "A Groovy Kind of Love (first recorded by Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders and later by Phil Collins)," and she was off and running.

Though younger, CBS was a contemporary of Carole King who was writing songs in New York with her then husband, Jerry Goffen and their paths crossed briefly early in CBS's career when Carole King was already well-known.  CBS got up the courage to say that they should write a song together to which Carole King politely said, "Sure," but nothing came of it until later in both of their careers, whenthey actually did write some songs together.

As Carole's career progressed, she crossed paths with many famous people and she shares anecdotes.  She was best friends with Elizabeth Taylor (don't call her Liz!), wasn't a personal fan of Dionne Warwick's and has stuff to say about Clint Eastwood, David Foster and others. 

Carole had a three year relationship with Marvin Hamlisch which was more of a song-writing partnership than a romantic one, though marriage was briefly on the table.  However, their relationship will live in musical comedy history because it was the basis for the long-running musical "They're Playing Our Song." She has relatively nice things to say about Hamlisch, but not her husbands, one of whom was Burt Bacharach with whom she also wrote songs. She describes him as a germaphobe and calls him a narcissist. And those are the nice things! She contends that Hamlish didn't have any pop credentials when they met and Bacharach's career, despite his many, many hits in the 60's, was on the wane so she felt they were both attracted to her for her ability to craft pop hits.  Neither relationship lasted (Burt cheated).

She admits to being one of those women who didn't want to be confrontational so she sucked up her feelings, told the men what they wanted to hear, went along with them, all because she feared being alone and wanted to feel safe.  She used her song lyrics to express herself and say what she really felt.

"Alone for the first time, I asked myself why I kept repeating the same dramas with different men I was attracted to in my life.  Men who never really saw me...I kept choosing men I hoped would love me who could only see me as an extension of themselves.  Men who loved me for my talent, but not for myself...I was starting to understand that if I wanted a different result in my life, I couldn't keep walking down the same street and falling into the same hole.  I would have to put more value on myself and begin respecting and loving myself if I ever was going to be deserving of a man who really loved me."

See?  Even celebrities struggle with this stuff.

But happily she found love and a happy marriage later in life, and she finally felt that she was loved for herself and not just her musical talents.

She was not only a writing partner with Hamlisch and Bacharach but also Peter Allen, Barry Manilow, Neil Diamond and many others including Bob Dylan ("Under Your Spell").  She has written the lyrics to some of my favorite pop songs: Diana Ross's "It's My Turn," Patti LaBelle's and Michael McDonald's "On My Own," and the theme from the film "Ice Castles:" "Looking Through the Eyes of Love."

She describes her writing style:

"I prefer being in the same room with the composer.  He or she plays a couple of chords and I start to hear words and one line triggers a melody or a melody line triggers a lyric.  We become one, inspiring each other to write the best song we can, and if something sounds untrue or mundane or tired, we're both there to try for something better together...writing together will alwalys be my favorite way to craft a song."

Rosy the Reviewer says...wannabe songwriters will find this inspiring and those of us who like candid celebrity memoirs will find it juicy.


Thanks for reading!

 
See you next Friday 

 
for my review of


"Fences"


 
and
 
 
The Week in Reviews
(What to See or Read and What to Avoid)


 and the latest on



"My 1001 Movies I Must See Before 

 I Die Project." 


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Check your local library for DVDs and books mentioned.


Next time you are wondering whether or not to watch a particular film, check out my reviews on IMDB (The International Movie Database). 

Go to IMDB.com, find the movie you are interested in.  Once there, click on the link that says "Explore More" on the right side of the screen.  Scroll down to External Reviews and when you get to that page, you will find Rosy the Reviewer alphabetically on the list.

NOTE:  On some entries, this has changed.  If you don't see "Explore More" on the right side of the screen, scroll down just below the description of the film in the middle of the page. Click where it says "Critics." Look for "Rosy the Reviewer" on the list.

Or if you are using a mobile device, look for "Critics Reviews." Click on that and you will find me alphabetically under "Rosy the Reviewer."

Friday, February 3, 2017

"A Dog's Purpose" and the Week in Reviews

[I review the new movie "A Dog's Purpose" as well as DVDs "Snowden" and "Anthropoid." I also bring you up-to-date with "My 1001 Movies I Must See Before I Die Project" with "The Exiles." The Book of the Week is "Where'd You Go, Bernadette?" ]





A Dog's Purpose


A dog, who keeps being reborn, remembers each life he has lived and wonders about his purpose for being alive.

Based on the 2010 novel by W. Bruce Cameron, the story follows Bailey the dog through his various incarnations. Bailey starts out first in the 1960's as a feral puppy who is quickly caught by the dog catcher and whisked off to that dreaded doggy place - The Pound.  And since we know what happened to dogs who went to the pound back then, Bailey is soon reincarnated and wakes up, this time as a different puppy, a Golden Retriever, who appears to be the product of a puppy mill.  But he escapes, is picked up by a couple of brutes who leave him in a hot car where he is close to death.

OK, OK - don't call PETA. It gets better after that.

He is rescued by eight-year-old Ethan (Bryce Gheisar) and his Mom (Juliet Rylance), and they adopt Bailey.  Except for a drunken Dad (Luke Kirby) and a big disappointment for Ethan later in life, Bailey lives a happy life to a ripe old age and a teenaged Ethan (K.J. Apa) is there for him at the end.

When Bailey wakes up again, this time he is a....YIKES! ... a girl!  But a brave and beautiful girl named Ellie who becomes a police dog and saves a life.

Next he finds himself as Tino, a Corgie, who comes into the life of Maya (Kirby Howell-Baptiste), a lonely young woman.  He gives her the love she needs until she finds a husband and has a family.

And finally Bailey comes back as some kind of hound and is adopted by a woman of dubious background.  We know this because she is pierced, wears a denim jacket and lives in a house strewn with garbage.  The woman's live-in boyfriend doesn't like Bailey and makes him stay outside in all kinds of weather and the woman appears to either have lost interest in him or is fearful of the boyfriend.  Either way, Bailey's latest incarnation doesn't look good especially when that mean boyfriend takes him out into the country and abandons him.

But lest you think this is a sad movie, think again.  Bailey is just starting to work his magic.

There has been controversy surrounding this film:

1) That it is not a family film because of a puppy taken to the pound early in the film (and we know what happens to dogs that end up at the pound) and a dog left outside all of the time and eventually abandoned.  Well, those things do happen, but they are not overt and children will not even get the puppy going to the pound allusion nor does the film dwell on the abandoned dog. If anything, it's the adults who will be most affected by all of that, so, yes, this is very much a family film.

2) Some allegations of dog abuse because of some footage supposedly taken by someone working on the film showing a German Shepherd being forced into roiling water that was shown by TMZ right before the premiere of the film.  Considering this footage wasn't leaked until almost two years after the incident supposedly happened, it is suspicious.  If the person who leaked the footage to TMZ felt so strongly about dogs being abused during the making of this film, why wait two years to let anyone know?  According to actor Dennis Quaid, who stars as the adult Ethan, the dog in question was being asked to do a trick he had been doing successfully for several takes and was just tired of doing it. The dog might have been freaked out but was never in any danger and when he refused the trick, the shoot ended. I believe him. It is clear from this film that it was made by people who love dogs. And after seeing the film, I believe that.

Director Lasse Hallstrom, who gave us "My Life as a Dog (fitting)," "The Cider House Rules" and "Chocolat," uses that dreamy cinematography we have come to expect from him.  He also uses music, cars and clothing to help us see time passing (remember "Mom jeans?).  The screenplay by Cameron and others provides some humor in Bailey's observations about life amongst humans, but the vignettes themselves, the stories of each of Bailey's incarnations are simplistic and hokey. Think Nicholas Sparks meets Lifetime Movies.  But that's OK, because this is really all about the dogs, and if you are a dog lover, I defy you to keep dry-eyed through this thing. 

Josh Gad provides the voice of Bailey and Brit Robertson the love interest for the teen Ethan, which is kind of a stretch considering she is 27.  Along with Dennis Quaid, those are probably the only names you will recognize but all of the other actors are excellent, including the dogs! 

As you probably know if you have been reading me for very long, I too am a dog lover and have been known to wax poetic from time to time about them ("Do Dogs Ever Retire?), not to mention dressing them up in costumes ("How Well Do You Know The Classics?")

In these crazy times we live in, we can learn from dogs and practice some of that unconditional love they give us. 

We can also practice some of those things Bailey said he learned about his purpose: have fun, find someone to save, lick the ones you love, and be here now.  Good advice for us humans.

Rosy the Reviewer says...pure, unadulterated schmaltz...and I loved every minute of it, and if you love dogs, you will too!


After the movie, I went right home and gave my dogs a lick.  I looked them right in their eyes and wondered what they would say if they could talk.

I am sure they would say how much they love me!



"Mildred, Tarquin and Freddy here, and here is what we would say..."

 

What's that crap you are feeding us?
Why do you always have a wine glass in your hand?
Why do you call Daddy an idiot?
Stop talking baby talk to us!  We are dogs, not morons!
And quit dressing us up in costumes!





 






You are thinking about how much you love me, right?



***Some Movies You Might Have Missed***
(And Some You Will Be Glad You Did)!

On DVD




 
Snowden (2016)


A docudrama about Edward Snowden, an employee at the NSA, and his leaking of documents to the press about their illegal surveillance practices.

The film begins on June 3, 2013 as Edward Snowden (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) meets in a Hong Kong hotel room with journalists for The Guardian (Zachary Quinto and Tom Wilkinson) and filmmaker-activist Laura Poitras (Melissa Leo), who went on to make 2014’s Oscar-winning Snowden documentary "Citizenfour."  Snowden has fled to Hong Kong and is ready to turn over documents to them that would blow the lid off of the NSA and shed light on America's surveillance of its citizens.  Then the film goes to flashback. 

How did Snowden end up in a hotel room in Hong Kong with journalists, a filmmaker and hijacked classified documents?

Edward Snowden was a private contractor for the NSA and CIA.  Before that he was an Airborne Ranger but he messed up his leg and had to give that up.  So what do you do when you wanted to be an elite military guy but you mess up your leg?  Why you go to work for the CIA, of course.  It helps that Snowden was also a very smart guy.

On his first day at the CIA, Edward meets Ed Forrester, played by Nicolas Cage. You know it's Cage before you even see him because of THAT VOICE.  Very recognizable. Likewise, Cage also has such actory mannerisms and his  slow, lethargic delivery... OK, don't get me started.  Anyway, Forrester doesn't really figure very prominently in the film so you might also wonder what Cage is doing here.  

Anyway, Snowden is hired by the NSA to do cyber spying to ensure that there is not another 9/11.  He's a wunderkind of computer spying.  He's also a patriot and a conservative who believes in his government. Naturally he meets a girl, Lindsay (Shailene Woodley) who is a liberal so we can have that spunky give-and-take that happens between a conservative and a liberal, I guess. But she's also a geek (they meet on geek.com) so that is appealing to Snowden too.

However, as time goes by, Snowden realizes that he is not just spying on possible terrorists, he is spying on EVERYONE!  He is reading our emails, seeing our posts on Facebook, listening to our phone calls and even watching us through our laptops.  His disillusionment about the government leads him to want to expose it. 

But, OK, now I have to ask. 

Since we already know that everyone is spying on everybody, why is Snowden's revelation so shocking?  Is it because America is supposed to be above such things?  However, I will say that all of this spying stuff is quite fascinating (and frightening), and the film does a good job of showing how it all works.  It makes the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon Game look very real indeed (if you want to play the game, here is The Oracle of Bacon).  Basically, in case you think I have lost my marbles bringing Kevin Bacon into this, here is how that relates to spying and what Snowden uncovered: people even slightly related to someone who even slightly might be a terrorism suspect also becomes a suspect. Get it? Fun, huh?

"Most Americans don't want freedom, they want security." 

This is a statement in the film that supposedly justifies the spying, and Snowden justified what he did by saying in the film "I think the greatest freedom that I have gained is the fact that I don't have to worry about what happens tomorrow, because I'm happy with what I've done today."

Directed by Oliver Stone, who has made a name for himself embracing conspiracy theories, surprises us here because this is almost a puff piece. Written by Stone and Kieran Fitzgerald, it lacks the usual over-the-top drama that we have come to expect from him.  It is almost restrained in its delivery, but Stone doesn't let us down by not having a point of view.  His films always do and this is no exception. He is clearly a Snowden fan.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt does what I would expect is a faithful representation of Snowden, but these kinds of biopics don't really allow an actor to do much and Snowden himself isn't portrayed as a very dramatic guy. He is joined by an all-star cast, but the film  doesn't have much punch.  It was a two hour and fifteen minute story that could have been told in half the time.

Is Edward Snowden a hero/whistleblower or a treasonous villain? 
You decide. 

Stone, however, already has. The final shots of the film show the real Edward Snowden, and the reverence of the shots depict him practically as the second coming of Christ.

But the film does raise an important question in this turbulent times.

Do we Americans care more about our security than our freedom and privacy?  And just how much are we willing to give up to feel safe?

Rosy the Reviewer says...a prescient and important reminder of what is really going on, but not a very dramatic film that could have been told in half the time.






Anthropoid (2016)


Operation Anthropoid - the plot to assassinate SS General Reinhard Heydrich, Hitler's third in command, and the architect of The Final Solution dubbed "The Butcher of Prague" because of his iron rule of Czechoslovakia.

Hitler really, really needed the Czech factories to help him take over the world, but unfortunately the Czechs didn't want to help him. There was resistance so Hitler sent in his third in command, Reinhard Heydrich, to get the Czechs to comply, to fight the Czech resistance, and to rule the Czechs with a heavy hand.

Enter Jan Kubis (Jamie Dornan) and Josef Gabchik (Cillian Murphy) who on behalf of the Czech government house in London parachute into Czechoslovakia.  Their mission?  Assassinate Heydrich.  But you know how these things go.

Kubis and Gabchik make a connection in Prague with the Czech Resistance led in part by Uncle Hajsky played by Toby Jones.  Jones is a wonderful actor but he will forever be in my consciousness as Truman Capote, so maybe he should lose the Truman glasses.  Anyway, our heroes connect with the Resistance in Prague, stay with a sympathetic family (the mother is played by Alena Mihulova and her character is particularly moving and heroic) and have some romantic connections with Marie (Charlotte Le Bon) and Lenka (Anna Geislerova).  The first half of the film involves those relationships and the planning of the assassination.  It moves at its own pace as in slowly.  But hold on to your hats.  Part 2 takes on a life of its own and is tense, exciting and ultimately poignant with a finish that is right up there with some of the most powerful and poignant last stand bloodbaths I have ever seen ("The Magnificent Seven" and "Gallipoli").

Based on true events and directed by Sean Ellis with a script by Ellis and Anthony Frewin, the story unfolds slowly as our heroes plot the assassination, make the attempt and then have to deal with the aftermath.  There is cowardice, betrayal, heroism and sacrifice as the film culminates in a shoot-out to end all shoot-outs, one that shows the bravery of the Czech freedom fighters. 

Because so many of the movie-goers these days are young people and families who prefer horror or animation over adult themes, movies like this sometimes get buried. They either don't get wide release or go straight to DVD.  Such seems the case with this film, and it's a shame because it's a wonderful movie.  It's difficult to see how this film is any less important or well-done than films like "Schindler's List" or "Saving Private Ryan," and yet it isn't seen.  Perhaps it's because it's not directed by a Spielberg or perhaps the title is off-putting because who knows what an anthropoid is?  In any case, this is a powerful film that deserves to be seen.

Cillian Murphy is the courageous badass, which is a departure from the usual sensitive and quirky characters he has played in the past, whereas handsome young Dornan plays a guy with some courage issues. This is what Jamie Dornan has been doing between "Fifty Shades of Grey" and the upcoming "Fifty Shades Darker," and I like it.  He and Cillian are wonderful actors.

Rosy the Reviewer says...a powerful film about the bravery of the Czech Resistance - a film that deserves to be seen...and one that reminds us all, that when we are oppressed- RESIST!






***My 1001 Movies I Must See Before I Die Project***



216 to go!

Have YOU seen this classic film?





The Exiles (1961)



A day in the life of some native Americans living in Los Angeles in 1961.

The film begins with some iconic pictures of Native Americans and a short narration about Native American history before it seques to the present where this documentary follows some urban Native Americans for twelve hours.  These twenty-somethings left the reservation for a new life in the Bunker Hill area of Los Angeles, an area that would become a place that lured many Native Americans who wanted to give up life on the reservation. The camera follows them around as they live and comment on their assimilation juxtaposed with scenes of life back on the reservation.

There is Yvonne, who is pregnant, and who comments on her life as she goes about her day. Homer is her husband and goes off in the evening with his friend, Tommy, and his other pals to go bar hopping, play some poker and drink.  Yvonne is lonely and let down by Homer.  During the night, the men pick up women, gamble and drink and the women left at home are seen as lonely and long-suffering.  Homer reflects on life in the city versus life on the reservation.

Director Kent MacKenzie only made two films, but this one cemented his reputation. He also lived in Bunker Hill and his friendships there gave him access to these men's and women's lives.  They are exiles living in Los Angeles ,but the title is also a metaphor for the Native Americans who became exiles from their own country as their land was taken away and they were relegated to reservations.

The film doesn't really make any points about how moving to a city from a rural location like a reservation would be any different from any other transplant but it does show the contrast between life on the reservation for the young people left behind and life for our subjects in Los Angeles. It also is an honest representation of Native American life and attempts to break the "cowboys and Indians" stereotypes that were exploited in so many movies and television shows.

Why it's a Must See:  "Unreleased theatrically until 2008, [this film] nevertheless broke down barriers in the representation of Native Americans.  It preceeded the shift that Hollywood witnessed with films such as Soldier Blue (1970) and Little Big Man (1970), and is a precursor to more recent -- and fairer -- representations of Native American life, such as Smoke Signals (1998)."
---"1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die"

I can appreciate the time period, the view into a culture at a particular time and place. It is a fascinating picture of a Los Angeles in the early 1960's that is almost unrecognizable.  But some of the film seemed staged and stiff and because of that it read like a 1950's "B" movie and not a very good one.

I can see that this might have been a daring movie for its day, and I appreciate wanting to show Native Americans in their real life, but looking at it today, I am not sure this film stands up or has helped raise the view of Native Americans since most of these guys are alcoholics mistreating their wives and seeming to be headed nowhere. As Yvonne reflects about her unborn child and wishing he or she could go to college, she realizes he probably won't.  These people all seem to be in a dead end and one can't help but wonder what was the point of this?

Rosy the Reviewer says...I appreciate the attempt to dash the Native American stereotype, and this is a one-of-a-kind fly-on-the-wall view, but it is also a rather grim depiction of Native American life in Los Angeles c1960.  I question how it furthered the cause of Native Americans in the United States, and I question this being one of the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die," because I found it to be a grim depiction.
(b & w)



***Book of the Week***





Where'd You Go, Bernadette?: A Novel by Maria Semple (2013)



Bernadette Fox, an ex-architect with a once promising future, moved to Seattle from California and, despite a smart young daughter and a husband with a thriving career at Microsoft, Bernadette isn't coping very well.  And then she disappears.

Bernadette is what Washingtonians call a transplant - that slightly demonic human being, someone who has moved from California to Seattle.  And the feeling is mutual.  Bernadette doesn't like Seattle much either or Seattleites, finding them unfashionable, passive-aggressive, bad drivers and she finds all of the homeless people having pit bulls particularly irritating.  Five-way intersections are a particular peeve of Bernadette's, and she doesn't much like Canadians, either.  And then there is the rain.

Bernadette peevishly writes to an old friend back in California:

"Greetings from sunny Seattle, where women are 'gals,' people are 'folks'...when the sun comes out it's never called 'sun,' but always 'sunshine,' boyfriends and girlfriends are 'partners,' nobody swears but someone might occasionally 'drop the f-bomb,' you're allowed to cough but only into your elbow, and any request, reasonable or unreasonable, is met with 'no worries."

Bernadette was once an architectural genius who designed an iconic house in California, but now having given up architecture after her house had a horrible fate and moving to Seattle where her husband works for Microsoft, Bernadette is having a meltdown.  She is agoraphobic and angry, taking out her anger on the other moms at her daughter, Bee's, private school, moms who Bernadette feels are uptight and expecting her to do her part volunteering at the school, which she is not planning on doing any time soon. Bernadette's situation reminded me a bit of a literary version of the movie "Bad Moms."

So when Bee wants to go to Antarctica for her birthday and as her reward for her school achievement, Bernadette is in a tailspin.  Then Bernadette disappears, and fifteen-year-old Bee takes it upon herself to find her Mom.

Through a series of letters and emails with some narration by young Bee, Semple weaves a fascinating and hilarious story that highlights the mores of Seattle life and the love between a mother and a daughter with the mystery of Bernadette's disappearance thrown in to spice things up.  Semple throws around names and places that Seattle folks will recognize and exposes the foibles of Seattleites, but she does it with humor.  And she can.  She lives here.

Semple's observations about life in Seattle are right on and very, very funny.  She happily skewers just about everything, but also muses that no one who lives here wants to leave. But you don't need to be from Seattle to enjoy this book.  Seattle may have its "things," but they are all very relatable, and the story is fun and inventive as she weaves the tale through the eyes of the characters as they write letter and emails. 

Semple is also a skilled writer:

"The sky in Seattle is so low, it felt like God had lowered a silk parachute over us."

That's good stuff!

I can't believe it has taken me this long to read this book. 

Ever since I move to Seattle people have been telling me how much I would enjoy this book.  It's probably because I don't read that many novels but I finally got around to this one and I am glad I did. 

I, too, am a transplant from California and agree with what Bernadette's husband, Elgin, says:

"People say Seattle is one of the toughest cities in which to make friends.  They even have a name for it, the "Seattle freeze." I've never experienced it myself but coworkers claim it's real and has to do with all the Scandinavian blood up here.  Maybe it was difficult at first for Bernadette to fit in.  But eighteen years later, to still harbor an irrational hatred of an entire city?" 

It's true.  When I first moved here, I heard from other transplants that people in Seattle were friendly but they were unlikely to invite you over for BBQ.  Since inviting people over for BBQ is a big thing in California, that was unsettling.

And let me say something about the rain. 

Before I moved here, I visited a couple of time at different times of the year and both times the weather was delightful.  So I got it in my head that rainy Seattle was a myth created by Seattleites to keep Californians from moving there.  I was so certain of this that I moved to Seattle.  And then...October came along, the time changed, it got dark at 4:30 and it started to rain...and the darkness and rain didn't stop for three months.  So I was wrong.  It really does rain a lot. But despite that, like most people around here, I didn't want to leave.

As Bernadette says at the end of the book:

"All those ninnies had it wrong.  The best thing about Seattle is the weather."

Rosy the Reviewer says...a must read for Seattleites but a must read, too, for everyone who enjoys inventive, humorous and great writing.

 
 
 

 
Thanks for reading!

 
See you next Friday 

 
for my review of


"Passengers"


 
and
 
 
The Week in Reviews
(What to See or Read and What to Avoid)


 and the latest on



"My 1001 Movies I Must See Before 

 I Die Project." 


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