Showing posts with label 1001 Movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1001 Movies. Show all posts

Friday, August 4, 2017

"Dunkirk" and The Week in Reviews

[I review the new movie "Dunkirk" as well as DVDs "Patriots Day" and the new Netflix original film "To The Bone."  The Book of the Week is "The Cake and the Rain," a memoir by songwriter Jimmy Webb.  I also bring you up-to-date with "My 1001 Movies I Must See Before I Die Project" with "Stairway to Heaven" (orig. title "A Matter of Life and Death."]




Dunkirk


During World War II, by the end of May, 1940, the Nazis had driven British and French forces to the beach near the French village of Dunkirk and 400,000 soldiers waited anxiously on the beach to be evacuated.

Since the United States didn't enter WW II until after Pearl Harbor in 1941, the Battle of Dunkirk is not a WW II event that most Americans are familiar with. But Britain and France had been fighting the Germans since 1939, so it is vividly remembered by the British, whose soldiers, after fighting in France, were driven back by the Nazis and were stranded on the beach like sitting ducks as enemy fighters pummeled them with bombs and bullets.  And the event is vividly remembered and stunningly recreated here by director Christopher Nolan (he also wrote the screenplay), who has already stunned us with "Interstellar," The Black Knight Rises," "Inception," "Memento" and other wonderfully smart and beautifully conceived films.

The story of the Battle of Dunkirk is told in three parts:  from the vantage point of Tommy (newcomer Fionn Whitehead), a young British infantryman on the beach with his comrades waiting to be rescued; from the vantage point of Mr. Dawson (Mark Rylance), his son, Peter (Tom Glynn-Carney) and Peter's friend, civilians taking their own boat from Dover across the English Channel to help evacuate the soldiers; and Farrier (Tom Hardy), one of the ace Spitfire pilots sent to protect the evacuation.

So there is the action on the beach as Commander Bolton (Kenneth Branagh) and Captain Winnant (James D'Arcy) try to  evacuate the stranded soldiers and get them on board boats and ships while at the same time dodging German bullets and bombs; there is the human story of Dawson picking up a shell-shocked soldier (Cillian Murphy) who doesn't want to go back to Dunkirk; and there is the action in the air with Farrier and his cohorts dog-fighting with the German Luftwaffe as they try to protect the soldiers on the ground.

It all adds up to a terrifically tense bit of filmmaking and a remarkable story.

There are some filmmakers that no matter what the subject matter can make a riveting film.  Director Christopher Nolan is just such a filmmaker.  I am not a huge fan of war films but from the opening scene when some British soldiers are seen walking down the lane of a quaint and quiet French village, and suddenly leaflets rain down upon them, leaflets from the Germans telling them they are surrounded to the final scene when our pilot, Farrier, commits to a heroic act, I was riveted.

There are also some amazingly emotional scenes.  As the British civilian boats arrive at Dunkirk to help evacuate the soldiers, Captain Winnant asks Commander Bolton what he sees.  He replies "Home."  I lost it.

Near the end of the film when Tommy reads Churchill's famous speech:


"...we shall fight on the beaches,
we shall fight on the landing grounds,
we shall fight in the fields and in the streets,
we shall fight in the hills;
we shall never surrender..."

I lost it!

And at the very end of the film, I completely lost it.

From the editing to the cinematography to the acting, this film was perfect and will stand as one of the great war movies.  And it wasn't too long, either, which is often an ego thing with directors that I often don't appreciate.  It plays for less than two hours and it is white knuckles all of the way.  Nolan likes to play with time and this film is no exception but it's not confusing as that device can often be.

As you probably already know, Tom Hardy is my guy.  He is one of our preeminent actors who can do anything. Here as the ace pilot Farrier, despite the fact that his face is covered by an oxygen mask for almost the entire film, you knew what his character was thinking.  He acted with his eyes.

Rylance also proves why he deserved an Academy Award in 2016 with another stunning performance as Mr. Dawson, the epitome of British stoicism as he calmly drives his boat toward Dunkirk and danger.  Speaking of which, after what the British went through in WW II and being able to come out the other side, and after seeing this, all I can say is "Don't mess with the British!"  They are a tough lot.

Oh, and for you fans of One Direction, Harry Styles acquitted himself well.

Even if you don't usually like war films, this one is a must see.

Rosy the Reviewer says...you know that when I have a really good movie experience, I cry, right?  Did I cry after seeing this?  I bloody well did!  Academy Award nomination FOR SURE!


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

On DVD



Patriots Day (2016)



Dramatic reenactment of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings and the hunt for the perpetrators.

Mark Wahlberg seems to have made a career out of these dramatizations of real life events, if "Lone Survivor" and "Deepwater Horizon" are any indication (both also collaborations with Director Peter Berg, who directed this).  I would like to see him in a one-to-one drama without any action for a change. But he is particularly believable here as a fictional Bah-ston cop, Tommy Saunders, because, well, Wahlberg is a real-life Bostonian.

The movie starts by setting up the various characters - first responders and runners - some of whom will be heroes and some of whom will be victims.  Then we meet our young terrorists, the Tsarnaev brothers (Themmo Melikidze, Alex Wolff), and all of these people are on a collision course that will lead to death and a manhunt. Though there is not a lot of suspense here, because we all know how it turned out, the intensity lies in the seemingly benign and safe atmosphere of a marathon race as everyone participates and goes about their day while we wait for the bombs to go off. 

Likewise, there is suspense in the aftermath as the cops and the FBI try to find the perpetrators, and we discover things we didn't know about them and their bombs. The damage those pressure cooker bombs could inflict was horrifying.  However, I take issue with how long the film lingered on the whole chaotic period of evacuating the victims.  We get it already.  How many bloody legs and feet do we need to see to get the fact that this was a horrible event?

There was also suspense in wanting to find out more about the Tsarnaev brothers. In fact, I hate to say it, but I cared less about Wahlberg's character and the other "good guys" (the story went back and forth between what was happening with the victims and the police) and more about the Tsarnaev brothers, not because I am sympathetic to their cause, but because they were more interesting characters, especially the younger brother, Dzhokhar (Wolff) who was a seemingly reluctant participant but wanted to do what his older brother, Tamerlin (Melikidze), expected when all he really wanted to do was hang with his college friends and smoke dope. And it was also fascinating to see how the police and FBI were able to ID the brothers so quickly.

The film plays like a dramatized documentary and uses real footage from the day.  Remember "Unsolved Mysteries," where actors would act out the scenario?  This film felt very much like that except with A-list actors.  So as a recreation of events, the film was effective. but when it came to Wahlberg's character, not a real person but a composite, he just seemed extraneous because his role wasn't really established early on, and I was totally distracted by his eyebrows which just scream that he has had plastic surgery. 

The strength of this movie and the most interesting part of the film was the aftermath and how the police zeroed in on the perpetrators in the crowd.

"He was the only one who walked the other way."

Also I learned things about the brothers that I didn't know: what they did after the bombings and what their plans were (to do more bombings in New York City).  There is a scene where they carjack a car from Dun Meng (Jimmy O. Yang), a young Chinese man and they take him along with them.  It was his escape from the Tsarnaev brothers that called attention to them and led to the final shootout.  Had that not happened, they might have gotten away with it. 

It's an all-star cast consisting of mostly cameos.  Michelle Monaghan, who I really like, has little to do as Tommy's wife; J.K. Simmons is not his usual hard ass bombastic self, but again, I couldn't help but wonder what he was doing there and Kevin Bacon as one of the FBI guys also shows up with not much to do.

John Goodman plays Commissioner Ed Davis and, oh gee, I feel a rant coming on.  Goodman seems to be one of those actors who started out in a TV sit-com, became a movie star and now takes himself VERY seriously.  Here he is particularly overdoing it as he huffs and puffs around acting officious and Commissioner-like, sticking his chest out and trying to sound like he is from Bah-ston when in fact his Boston accent stinks.  Sorry, John.

Directed by Peter Berg with a screenplay by Berg, Matt Cook and Joshua Zeturner, I liked this film much better than I thought I would but not because of the all-star cast.  It was those two brothers who fascinated me as I tried to understand what drove them to do what they did.  And just what did Tamerlin's wife know?  That's something we may never find out.

The film ended on a flagrantly sentimental, and actually jarring note, which I could have done without, when Mark/Tommy gets to make a speech about how terrorists will never take away our way of life and the love we have for our families followed by a long montage showing the real life first responders, the victims and how they are doing, followed by the Boston Strong message. The ending was very much a memorial to the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings, I get that, but it took away from a lasting impression of the drama itself.

Rosy the Reviewer says...a mostly well-done docudrama with a strong message: good will always defeat bad.  I hope that's true.





To the Bone (2017)


Lily Collins plays Ellen, a young woman struggling with anorexia.

The film starts with a disclaimer that some of the pictures may be challenging for some viewers, which as I watched the film I found very strange.  Yes, the young people in the film are very, very skinny, and we see rib cages and backbones sticking out, but I don't remember seeing such a disclaimer in any films that showed violence and destruction - no such disclaimer for "Patriots Day," for example, which lingered so long on bloody limbs and faces (see review above), so I thought that was very odd.

Anyway, based on writer/director Marti Noxon's own experiences with anorexia, this Netflix original movie (now streaming on Netflix) follows Ellen as she unwillingly undergoes treatment for anorexia.  She is not only begrudgingly seeking treatment, she is in fact, defiant about not changing.

She returns home to live with her stepmother, Susan (Carrie Preston) half-sister, Kelly (Liana Liberato), with whom she is close, and her father. It is established early on that Ellen does not approve of her stepmother whose well-meaning attention annoys Ellen, but Ellen eventually learns that her step-mother has her back. Ellen's father is clearly a big force in Ellen's life, but he is never home and in fact never appears in the film. Ellen's mother came out when Ellen was 13 and basically abandoned her and lives a new age type of life on a horse therapy farm with her girlfriend in Phoenix and feels she can't cope with Ellen. It's a self-preservation thing, I guess.

After Ellen is kicked out of the latest treatment facility for being defiant, Susan  hits upon yet another treatment center run by a Dr. Beckham (Keanu Reeves) who is known to use unusual but effective treatment methods, so off Ellen goes, with her usual negativity, to another rehab place. 

But we see early on that this place is different. It's a big house with only six other people, five girls and a young man. Luke (Alex Sharp), who was once a dancer but an injury has curtailed his career, is obsessed with Raymond Chandler and Jonathan Gold's restaurant reviews. The other girls all have their own issues and eating fetishes.  One is pregnant, one is obsessed with peanut butter, another loves "My Little Pony." This potpourri of troubled youth gathered together reminded me of the Angelina Jolie film, "Girl, Interrupted."

And then we meet Dr. Beckham - Keanu Reeves.  OK, sorry, it's rant time.

Keanu has always been a problem for me as an actor. I have never understood his appeal or how he became an A-lister.  He is so phlegmatic most of the time as an actor that I feel like I need to take his pulse to see if he is really alive, but then when he wants to be really dramatic, he does a 360 and starts yelling.  So that is his range.  Barely alive with the occasional shouting thrown in.  Nothing in between. And that's how he plays every character.

Anyway, rant over.  Moving on.

This film depicts the world of the anorexic: the daily rituals to avoid eating, memorizing the exact calorie count for every food, talking about which foods come back up the easiest (ice cream) and starvation as a high to avoid feeling. 

"It's not about thin enough - it's  the numbing of the thing you don't want to feel." 

But the film also depicts how the disease affects the entire family and the well-meaning but ineffective things people say when confronted with something they don't understand.  Word to the wise. Saying "Be strong" to someone struggling with a disease is not helpful.

An Anne Sexton poem is a particularly moving centerpiece to a turning point in the film:

"Your courage was a small coal you kept swallowing..."

Collins, the daughter of singer/musician Phil Collins, who was part of the rock band Genesis, already has a Golden Globe nomination under her belt ("Rules Don't Apply") and is a lovely actress  - those eyebrows - and she is the centerpiece of this film.  She has stated in interviews that she too has struggled with an eating disorder so it was particularly challenging to have to lose weight for this film.

Despite what might seem like depressing subject matter, this is a wonderful film that brings understanding to a disease that is rarely shown in films.  It's also a film that you won't be able to take your eyes off of, mostly because of Collins' extraordinary performance.  As for Keanu, well he's always Keanu.

Rosy the Reviewer says....an uplifting message:  No matter what we are struggling with, in the end we all have to find our own way.  I teared up and you know what that means.




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


191 to go!

Have YOU seen this classic film?





Stairway to Heaven Orig. Title: "A Matter of Life and Death" (1946)




You've seen the films and read the stories of people having to plead their case to the devil to stay out of hell?  Well, this time a man must plead his case to God to stay out of heaven.

There are several movies directed by Michael Powell in the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die" book and there is a reason.  They are beautiful, lush films in Technicolor with dramatic scores, extreme closeups and lots of fantasy. They are the kinds of films I grew up with watching with my Dad so I have a particular soft spot in my heart for these kinds of films.

Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger wrote, directed and produced films under the name "The Archers," and they made 24 films together from 1939 to 1972.  They shared writing duties, but Powell did most of the directing while Pressburger mostly produced. Their most famous film is probably "The Red Shoes," but they were very influential during the 1940's and 1950's with such films as "The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp," "Black Narcissus" and others. Originally titled "A Matter of Life and Death," this film was renamed "Stairway to Heaven" for the American market.

The film opens with...

"This is the story of two worlds the one we know and another which exists only in the mind of a young airman whose life and imagination have been violently shaped by war -- any resemblance to any other world known or unknown is purely coincidental."

Here David Niven stars as Peter Carter, a WW II Royal Air Force aviator whose plane has been hit by enemy fire, and he is going down.  His crew has bailed out or are dead, and he has no parachute.  He makes contact with June (Kim Hunter), an American radio operator at the military base, and the two share a moment before he plans to jump from his plane. He spouts poetry and makes witty wise-cracks in the face of death which was a common part of showing bravery in these old WW II movies. Then he jumps. 

Miraculously, though (and I mean that literally), he wakes up in the sea -- and he's alive!  Turns out there was a hiccup in heaven, and the angel, who was supposed to go get him and escort him to heaven, couldn't see him because of the fog. Well, that's his story anyway, and Peter escaped his time of death.  Now heaven has to scramble to figure out what to do about it, because, as we all know, in filmdom, God has a file on all of us, and when it's our time, it's our time.

According to this film, Heaven is also a clean black and white place where there's a Coke machine, lots of wise-cracking airmen and soldiers who are all issued their wings - literally, their angel wings. 

In the meantime, wouldn't you know, Peter picks himself up and heads for the road and meets, guess?  Why it's June, who is riding her bike home from work.  Because of "that moment" they shared on the radio, they are instantly in love with each other. Like I said, I love these old movies. 

Now heaven really has a problem.  Because of those unaccounted for hours when Peter was supposed to be dead, the two have fallen in love and that can't be discounted.  Peter now has made a commitment to June. 

So God sends Conductor 71 (Marius Goring) to fetch Peter.  He is a French fop of an angel who is the one who missed Peter and screwed this all up in the first place.

Remember I said Heaven is depicted in black and white?  Well, the "real world" is in color, kind of like how they worked "The Wizard of Oz."  So when Conductor 71 arrives on earth to find Peter, he remarks, "We were starved up there for Technicolor." Then to really make the point, there is a whole montage of beautiful colored flowers blooming all over the place as the camera discovers Peter and June making out. Again, I love these old movies.

The Frenchman finds Peter and tells him a mistake has been made.  He was supposed to escort him to heaven when he died from jumping from his plane, but he missed him because of the fog but now he must go with him to heaven.  However, Peter says, "No way!" He makes his case as to why he should stay alive, so a deal is struck.  Peter must go on trial in heaven to plead his case as to why he should stay alive.  He can choose any dead person to defend him.  Unfortunately, the prosecutor is Abraham Farlan (Raymond Massey), an orator from the American Revolution and, naturally, he hates Brits.

While all of this is going on, everyone on earth thinks Peter has gone nuts because he keeps seeing visions - mostly that French guy.  June takes Peter to see Doctor Reeves (Roger Livesey) and brain surgery is prescribed.  But before the surgery can be performed, Dr. Reeves is killed. Now Reeves is in heaven, and Peter chooses him to defend him.

At the trial, Reeves argues that, through no fault of his own, Peter was given additional time on Earth and that, during that time, he has fallen in love and now has an earthly commitment that should take precedence over the afterlife's claim on him.

And let's just say, love triumphs.  Doesn't it always in the old movies?

"Nothing is stronger than the law in the universe, but on Earth, nothing is stronger than love."

Then we hear that Peter's brain surgery was a success.

Mmm - so did all of that really happen? What was real and what was all in Peter's mind?

Relatively early in Niven's career as a leading man, he was already the charming wise-cracker we came to know and love.  This was an early role for American actress Hunter, too, and she went on to be a staple on TV dramas such as "Playhouse 90" and "General Electric Theatre."

A very smart film, it's a comment on war, wartime love affairs and a satire on English and American relations, and to get the jokes and the allusions, it helps to know something about history and literature.  The set design is stunning and the whole film is visually beautiful and stimulating.

It's interesting to note that these old films are often of their time when it comes to  outdated speech and mores, but this was a British film, and I find the British and European films from the 30's, 40's and 50's to be much edgier and contemporary than what Hollywood was putting out, probably because of the Motion Picture Production Code which was implemented in the U.S. in 1934 and which was basically censorship in the guise of "moral guidelines" for films. 

Why it's a Must See: "...intended as a propaganda film to ameliorate strained relations between Britain and America...The movie outstrips its original purpose...ending up a lasting tale of romance and human goodness that is both visually exciting and verbally amusing."
---"1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die" 

Rosy the Reviewer says...a wonderfully fun film experience.  They don't make 'em like that anymore! 





***Book of the Week***





The Cake and the Rain: A Memoir by Jimmy Webb (2017)



If you ever wanted to know what the hell the song "MacArthur Park" was about and why the cake was left out in the rain, then here's your chance!






Webb was a prolific songwriter starting in the 1960's.  If you loved a ballad back then, he probably wrote it. His memoir includes 17 single-spaced pages of songs he wrote and it's only a partial list! He was also the only artist to win Grammys for music, lyrics and orchestration and was hugely successful and rich by the time he was 26.  In addition to "MacArthur Park," he was responsible for "Wichita Lineman," "Up, Up and Away," "Galveston" and countless other hits. 

However, his success was a double-edged sword.  He became known for his middle of the road pop hits at a time when the Rolling Stones and other rock groups were the anthems of the young.  It's a little hard to be cool with the young in-crowd when Frank Sinatra was singing your songs in Vegas and the young people were listening to the Grateful Dead at big concert venues. He also had a personal identity problem. He was a pot-smoking, cocaine-snorting, young hippie writing songs for the straight folks.

Born Jimmy (not James or Jim), Webb's father was a self-proclaimed preacher who moved his family around the country.  Webb grew up poor so when his songwriting career took off and the money started pouring in, he took off, too, into the world of sex, drugs and fast cars and it almost killed him. 

This memoir covers Webb's life from 1955 to the early 1970's, and since he has had a 50 year music career, I would guess there will be another book.  But this one covers his rise to fame, his inability to deal very well with lots of money at a young age, his drug use, and his penchant for married women which could explain why many of his songs are so sad. But he must have had something, because he always seemed to get the beautiful ladies his heart desired, including an early love who became "Miss America." He also shares anecdotes about rubbing elbows with some of the great singers and musicians of the day (The Beatles, Harry Nilsson, Janis Joplin) and includes some great behind-the-scenes stories about recording "Galveston," "Up, Up, Up and Away," and others.

Webb also shares his singing career. What is it about actors who want to be directors, comedians who want to be dramatic actors and songwriters who want to sing, songwriters whose voices are not that great?  Burt Bacharach comes to mind...and Jimmy Webb.  He shares his attempts at a singing career and is a bit self deprecating about it, though I will say, Webb's ego always seems to shine through.

Speaking of his ego, most of the bad stuff he did or bad decisions he made, he blames on the devil who actually plays a real role in the book. Though I found his story interesting and Webb is a good writer, I have to say that the conversations he has with the devil in the book, basically blaming his "bad side" on the devil - "The devil made me do it" as Flip Wilson used to say - was really annoying.  About page 50 I was wishing that old Beelzebub would go away but he never did.

This is the story of the rise and fall of one of our great American songwriters and since the book ends with a drug overdose, I am assuming there will be another installment that will show him rising from the ashes of addiction.

But for this one, just remember the Devil made him do it.

Rosy the Reviewer says...If you enjoy reading about the musicians and the antics that characterized the 60's and 70's, you will enjoy Webb's experiences.  But don't call him Jim or James.  It's Jimmy!



Thanks for reading!
NOTE:
See you Tuesday for

"Rosy's Test Kitchen #4:

Cooking Successes and Cooking Conundrums -

"Sweets!"
 
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Check your local library for DVDs and books mentioned.

Friday, October 3, 2014

Naked TV and The Week in Reviews

[I review the new movie "This is Where I Leave You," DVDs "Belle" and "Blended" and the book "I Said Yes to Everything" by actress Lee Grant.  I also keep you up-to-date on my "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die Project" and how I'm doing with my changing my life thing]
 
But First



I am sure you know that I write this blog as a public service to you, so I feel it is my civic duty to warn you of just what is happening on TV these days.

It's called "Naked TV."

Did you know that people are dating naked, shopping for homes naked, trying to survive naked (and afraid) and getting their naked bodies painted, all in the comfort of YOUR living room?

Well, they are, and as much as I love reality TV, this must stop, I tell you!



Buying Naked

With such titles as "Brave Nude World," "The Big Bust," and "Nude to the Neighborhood," each episode features real estate agent Jackie Youngblood showing homes to house-hunting nudists in clothing optional communities - in the nude, of course (the house hunters, not Jackie).

Rosy the

Rosy the Reviewer says...I wouldn't touch this with a ten foot pole, pardon the expression.



Dating Naked

The point of this show (if it really has one) is that when "stripped" of artiface people can find a true connection. 

Two contestants, a man and a woman, date each other and then they both go off on two other dates, nude on all fronts, and then at the end, they each choose a person they want to see after the show, presumably WITH clothes as well as without.  There are lots of activities, such as nude zip-lining and nude boating, lots of alcohol and lots of butt.  Breasts and genitalia are pixilated, but bare butts must have passed the good taste test.  My favorite episode was the first one - Joe and Wee Wee.  I will leave it at that.




Rosy the Reviewer says...if you like butts, this is for you.



Skin Wars


This is a body painting competition hosted by Rebecca Romijn and judges declare a winner after ten episodes.  The people being painted are referred to as "canvases.'





Rosy the Reviewer says...kind of like "Project Runway," except without clothes.





Naked and Afraid

In this program, it's not enough to be naked, you have to be afraid too.  A man and woman contestant are brought to wild locations such as the Louisiana swamp or the sand dunes of Brazil where they strip off and then must survive for 21 days - no food or water that they don't find themselves.  They only get to bring one personal item - machete or fire starter, pot, etc.





Rosy the Reviewer says...this one I like, because it's not really about the nudity.  It's like "Survivor," but here you really, really do suffer to survive and they don't even win any money if they make it for the 21 days.  But best of all, and, mercifully for the viewers, we don't have to listen to Jeff Probst's long winded sermons at tribal council. 

Now, I feel better.  I have done my duty and warned you. 

You are welcome.




Now on to The Week in Reviews
 


***In Theatres Now***



This is Where I Leave You




The death of their father forces three grown brothers and a sister to return home to sit shiva for seven days with their mother, spouses and assorted other friends and foes from their past.

Judd Altman (Jason Bateman) returns home to find his wife in bed with his friend and employer, radio shock jock Wade (Dax Shepherd).  Speaking of shocks, his sister, Wendy, (Tina Fey) then calls to tell him that his father has passed away so he heads home to join her and his brothers, Phillip (Adam Driver) and Paul (Corey Stoll) to sit shiva with their mother.  Paul is there with his wife, Alice (Kathryn Hahn). The two of them are desperately trying to have a baby.  Phillip arrives with his much older girlfriend, his ex-shrink (Connie Britton).  And then we have the matriarch played by Jane Fonda.  You now have all of the ingredients for dysfunction and comedy.  Unfortunately, there is more dysfunction than comedy.

When everyone comes together they overshare their disappointments.  Judd has his unfaithful wife; Wendy has a husband who is always on the phone; Phillip is a playboy ne're-do-well and Paul and Alice can't seem to get pregnant.

Based on a best selling novel by Jonathan Tropper (2009) and directed by Shawn Levy of the "Night at the Museum" franchise, this could have been fertile ground to explore these issues of infidelity, infertility, loss and family dysfunction, but these issues are glossed over and replaced with supposed witty repartee and the easy laugh.

It's not a bad movie and in fact, the cast is what saves it.  The ensemble works, and there are some genuinely funny moments, such as a baby monitor broadcasting Phillip and Alice trying for that baby.  I just wished that there could have been more depth to some of the touching moments, rather than going for the cheap laugh.

Bateman has come into his own from his teen TV years and as in "Bad Words," another near miss I reviewed recently, he is the king of comic timing and the slow burn.  Rose Byrne, who seems to be everywhere these days, provides romance for him as an old childhood flame.

The fun one here is actually Fonda as the mother without a filter and enhanced breasts.  And Kathryn Hahn, who co-starred with Bateman in "Bad Words," is always wonderful, but rarely has her own vehicle.  For that, check her out in "Afternoon Delight."

A funeral is a popular movie device for getting a dysfunctional family together, as in "August:Osage County," but this one is less venomous, much sweeter. It's a reminder that no matter how much dysfunction may exist in a family, in the end they are there for you.

Rosy the Reviewer says...a likable comedy but not a great one.


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

Belle (2013)
 
 

After the death of her mother, her father, a Royal Navy Admiral, recognizes his mixed race daughter and takes her to live with his artistocratic great-uncle in 18th century England.

The illegitimate daughter of Admiral John Lindsay (Matthew Goode, who you might recognize from the wonderful mini-series "Dancing on the Edge" and "Birdsong") and a slave, Dido Belle (Gugu Mbatha Raw) is sent to live on the palatial estate of his uncle, William Murray (Tom Wilkinson), the 1st Earl of Mansfield. who is also the Lord Chief Justice, the highest judge in the land. (The estate was Kenwood House, which still stands in Hampstead Heath in London). This is a singularly unusual act in 18th Century Britain considering it was a slave-trading nation and a Colonial Empire. There she is treated as one of the family, becoming good friends with her cousin Lady Elizabeth (Sarah Gadon), and enduring the initial discontent of Murray's wife (Emily Watson).

Though the family grows to love her, Dido is not allowed to eat with them, always reminded that she is somehow "less than."  However, there is irony in the fact that when Dido's father dies at sea, he leaves her a fortune whereas Elizabeth is part of the penniless aristocracy. This is brought to the fore as Lady Ashford (played venomlously by Miranda Richardson) tries to marry off her sons Oliver and James to the one with the money, despite her racism. But another irony is the fact that despite Dido's wealth, once married she would for intents and purposes be a slave to her husband, since men basically owned their wives and their fortunes.

Based on a true story, a painting of the two young women hangs in Scone Palace in Scotland.



There is a side story about the Zong massacre, in which over 140 slaves were dumped off a ship in order to collect the insurance money on them. Dido becomes involved and tries to reason with her uncle to do the right thing.  She aligns herself with a young lawyer, John Davinier (Sam Reid), who seeks mentorship from Sir William and who becomes Dido's suitor.

It's a very interesting story but sadly treated with a shallow approach.  We don't see much in the way of the harsh realities of slavery in this film, just lots of talk. 

The film is beautifully photographed, Gugu Mbatha Raw plays the title role effectively and it's fun to see all of these great British actors together, but the script lets them all down.

Rosy the Reviewer says...it's a worthwhile film that Jane Austen fans will enjoy but in the end, it is a serious subject simplified to melodrama.




Blended (2014)
 

Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore get together again for a romantic comedy about two single parents.

Sandler (Jim) and Barrymore (Lauren) meet for a blind date at Hooters. (That right there should be fair warning about what you are getting yourself into).  It is not a successful date so both seem happy to never see each other again.  However, through a series of events, they both end up on a joint vacation in Sun City, South Africa with their kids - he has three girls, she has two sons.  The kids are out of control and Jim and Lauren hate each other - until they fall in love that is.  What?  You didn't see that coming?

It is amazing to me to think that Rhinos having sex and scatological humor does a comedy make, but Sandler thinks that is all he has to do.  That and his constant smirking. Barrymore is sweet but not sweet enough to save this thing.

The black "Greek chorus" that follows them all around singing is borderline offensive and Sun City is an uncomfortable symbol of Apartheid.  Bad taste.

 I didn't get Adam Sandler when he started out as Stud Boy on the MTV show "Remote Control," and I still don't get his appeal. How he could get something like this made says much about his power, but little about his taste.  And it seems like he makes these films so he can go on vacation with buddies and family (I counted no less than five family members in the credits).

Rosy the Reviewer says...horrible.  I just don't get what other people get about Adam Sandler.
 
 
 
 
 
"My 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die Project."
 
 
 
I talked about this project in my blog post last month, where I shared how many of the 1001 films I had seen (685), which meant I had to watch 316 more before I die.
 
So I have included this project in my Friday blog post and will let you know how I am doing and point out some of the films YOU need to see (or maybe not) before YOU die.  There could definitely be debate on some of the films included.
 
I am now down to 312 to go.
 
 

Daisies (1966)


Two young Czech girls run around town pulling pranks, taking advantage of old men and acting silly.

These girls see to be so annoying at first, but when you realize this was made in Communist Czechoslovakia before the Czech Spring of 1968, then you realize just how subversive and feminist it was for its day and for its location. These girls were doing whatever the hell they wanted despite the repression. The exuberance of these two girls was a call against the repressive Communist rule. There are many references to being hungry and cold followed by orgies of eating.  In fact, this movie was banned and the director, Vera Chytilova, was not allowed to work in her country again until 1975. It's all very psychedelic and slapstick.

Rosy the Reviewer says...These girls grow on you. (subtitles) 



Cyclo (1995)


In 1990's Hanoi, a young rickshaw driver (called a Cyclo) is robbed of his rickshaw.  To pay off his employer, he is forced to work for a local pimp and, unbeknownst to him, his sister is forced into prostitution.

One can't help but think of Vittorio De Sica's "The Bicycle Thief (another classic film)," but here the director focuses on the brutal landscape lurking behind the rhythms of the city and finds beauty in the violence.

Tony Leung plays the pimp, a brooding, chain-smoking character named Poet.  Tony would go on to make the impossibly beautiful "In the Mood for Love" (also one of the 1001 films).

Rosy the Reviewer says...an uncomfortable film to watch. I think "Cyclo" rhymes with "Psycho" for a reason.  Whether this is a masterpiece of film-making would be up for debate. (subtitles).
 
 
 
 
 
***Book of the Week***
 
 
 
I Said Yes To Everything: A Memoir  (2014)
 

Actress Lee Grant tells a story of success, devastation and then success.

Actress Lee Grant was celebrated on Broadway and nominated for an Academy Award all by the age of 24 and then lost it all.  She was named to the Hollywood blacklist by the House Un-American Activities Committee and her life fell apart.  After 12 years of fighting the blacklist, she was exonerated and her career took off again:  "Peyton Place," "Valley of the Dolls,"  "In the Heat of the Night" and "Shampoo," for which she won her first Oscar.
 
Grant is not that well-known to the younger generation, but she is an acclaimed actress who worked with all of the greats:  Brando, Poitier, Beatty.  She had to say yes to everything to survive those bitter black list years but she rose from the ashes to great heights. 


She talks about her growing up years as "the perfect child" whose mother wanted her to excel in the arts - any of them - and her failed marriage and the bitter insecurity brought out in her by the withholding personality of her first husband.  But eventually she was to find happiness. 
Rosy the Reviewer says...an important actress you should know about, writing about an important, but sad part of our history.


 

***And finally, if you have been keeping track of my other project, where I am attempting to get myself out of a rut and change my life by adding a new habit every month, well, don't. ***

I am not doing so well.  I did OK in July where I promised to break the habit of ordering a Skinny Vanilla Latte, but now I am back to that again.  In August, I vowed to moisturize.  I managed only a couple of those days.  And for September, I was supposed to ride my bike every day that the sun shone.  I could try to trick you and say the sun didn't shine much because, hey, this is Seattle, right?  Well, wouldn't you know, we have had a fantastic summer and in September, too, the sun was shining almost every day.  And (hanging my head), I only rode my bike on two of those days.  So now I am scared to remind you and myself of what I said I would do in October.

***Walk 10,000 steps every day***
 
If you read last Tuesday's post, "Fitbit on My Shoulder," you will know that I am already struggling with that.  I doubt that I will do it every day, but it's my new goal to get there at least five times a week. 

One thing I am learning is that it's damn hard to change! 
 
Check back at the end of the month to see how I do with this one!
 
 
Thanks for Reading!
 
 

See you Tuesday

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"Welcome to Sweden" 

        

 
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Check your local library for DVDs and books mentioned.

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



Here is a quick link to get to all of them.  Choose the film you are interested in and then scroll down the list of reviewers to find "Rosy the Reviewer."
 


Or you can go directly to IMDB.  

Find the page for the movie, click on "Explore More" on the right side panel and then scroll down to "External Reviews."  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."