Tina's June Movies

Not a great month for movies, but I did get to the theater to see Sex and the City. Here's what I watched in June, with numbering picked up from the rest of the year.

June
63. Bringing Down the House (TV) – After a very busy and exhausting day, this Steve Martin-Queen Latifah comedy was just what I needed to relax. A fish-out-of-water tale of rich versus poor, white vs. black and uptight vs. spontaneous, this movie has many funny moments, none funnier than Steve Martin going gansta in a club. Eugene Levy almost steals the movie as well as the heart of the Queen, who, by the way, shows great potential as an actress. Very cute, and Betty White to boot. 3½ cans.
64. Second Hand Lions (rental) – Recommended by pool pal Bunny, this film is about two crusty old men (Robert Duvall and Michael Caine, sans English accent) living alone in a dilapidated house in Texas, content to welcome uninvited guests with shotgun blasts. When their previously unknown young nephew (Haley Joel Osment) is dumped on their door by his ne’er-do-well mother, the quiet youngster and eccentric old men develop the kind of predictable bond you expect in this kind of movie. Nonetheless, there is enough funny and heart-warming stuff to make viewing this film highly worthwhile. 3½ cans.
65. The Ugly Truth (rental) – The ugly truth is that Hollywood is bound and determined to make Katherine Heigl the next Goldie Hawn-Meg Ryan-Sandra Bullock rom-com queen, but this movie doesn’t quite get her to the throne. She has the right qualities but not as yet the right vehicle. Predictable in plot and annoying in making a competent woman into a ditzy idiot. 2½ cans.
66. A Perfect Murder (TV) – Michael Douglas is at his Gordon Gekko best as a wealthy businessman who hires his wife’s lover (Gwyneth Paltrow and Viggo Mortenson) to kill her. Is it for her family’s money? Will lover-boy, with a rather shady past, complete the mission made possible by Douglas? Does anyone in New York really live in an apartment that big? Suspenseful and with enough twists and turns to keep it very interesting. 4 cans.
67. Fame (rental) – A remake of the 1980s movie, this version lacks the exuberance and jaw-dropping talent displayed by the original cast (particularly by the late dancer Gene Anthony). Lots of familiar names among the faculty (Debbie Allen, Kelsey Grammer, Bebe Neuwirth, Megan Mulally) but they have little to contribute. The young dancers, filmmakers, singers and dancers are more aspiring than inspiring. Maybe on its own this movie would fare better, but I kept comparing it to its much superior predecessor. This one will not live forever. 3 cans.
68. Smash His Camera (TV) – Speaking of fame, this documentary captures the original paparazzo, Ron Galella, who made his reputation by stalking and shooting his celebrity prey – especially Jackie Kennedy (whose demand prompts the title of the film) – with his ever-present camera. Galella and Jackie had a love-hate relationship. In a creepy way, he adored her, while she hated him (but allegedly kept a stash of magazines in which his pictures of her appeared). Though I deplore his invasion of the privacy of public figures, I couldn’t stop looking at the iconic images of Jackie and her kids and of so many other prominent people he shot in his (and their) heyday. Is it art, photojournalism or simply voyeurism? Or is it working hard to be in the right place at the right time with a camera? 4 cans.
69. Sex & the City (with Andrea) – Sometimes it is best to approach a movie with low expectations so you won’t be disappointed. I had expected this movie to be somewhere between “Ishtar” and “Mamma Mia” and was pleasantly surprised to enjoy it as much as I did. The girls, in full travel regalia – including a hat worn by Carrie Bradshaw that needed its own seat on the plane – are off to Abu Dhabi with their conspicuous consumption and Samantha’s unstoppable sex drive. The latter joke is really beginning to wane, and the overdose of references to menopause and hormones was just that – an overdose. For SATC fans, however, there are healthy doses of Big, Aidan and beefcake – to say nothing of a $22,000 a day hotel suite and the ability to buy shoes for $20 – that make this fantasy worthwhile. 4 cans, surprisingly.
**. It’s Complicated – Since I have already seen this movie once this year, I am not counting it in the total. However, I will point out that I found it well worth seeing a second time, especially with someone who hadn’t seen it yet.
70. June 17, 1994 (ESPN) – On June 17, 1994, Arnold Palmer was playing his last round of competitive golf, President Bill Clinton and a very slim Oprah Winfrey were welcoming soccer teams to the World Cup in Chicago, the New York Rangers were in a tickertape parade in honor of winning the Stanley Cup, and O. J. Simpson was in a white Ford Bronco with pal Al Cowlings, leading L.A. police on a slow-speed chase after being charged with the murder of his wife and her friend. This documentary – with no interviews, no voiceover and only news and sports broadcasts of all of these events – is a compelling reminder of the Simpson circus and how it forever altered coverage of news, blurring it with popular culture and expanding the reign of celebrity. This film is part of ESPN’s outstanding “30 for 30” series of documentaries, hour-long programs made with considerable freedom by a wide range of filmmakers. I have seen almost all of them, but couldn’t decide whether to treat them like actual movies. Since their quality is so high, and since I’d like to recommend them when appropriate, I have decided to include them here. 4 cans.